


Creating a Heart

by Elementalcrystals



Category: One Piece
Genre: Androids, Fictitious drug, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-25 13:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 77,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6196399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elementalcrystals/pseuds/Elementalcrystals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eustass Kid has finally created his perfect company. An android named Trafalgar Law.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Exordium

**Author's Note:**

> Joined up in the Eustass Kid Week event. Basically, from the 4th to the 10th (his birthday) We are contributing something to Eustass Kid. Each day for the week, we are to use a letter from his name and have a theme. Clearly, I decided to just write a story, so the titles would have to match up. Anyways it's on tumblr, as well as fanfiction.
> 
> This is basically an archival from fanfiction.

Kid took a step back, staring at his creation. _One more thing and it’s done_ He walked around to the back of it and flipped a switch activating the android up. If it started up like he had planned it to, then this without a doubt would be his greatest masterpiece.

When he returned back to the front, looking into the machine. It’s eyes slowly started to open like a human waking up after a long slumber. The head tilted up, looking Kid right in the eyes.  
Eustass stepped back a few steps before motioning it to follow him. 

The android followed after, the movement was smooth and didn’t have a mechanized sound when in motion. Something Eustass was proud of. He wanted to make sure of it. He wanted to make sure, it looked and acted as human as possible. Now the only thing he had to figure out was how to program him.

Trafalgar Law, that’s what he had decided on calling the android. Though the android was voided of any emotion, he had kept him company while he was home. Whatever movies he had, he allowed him to watch it while he was gone to understand people better.

Kid continued to tweak him, but eventually found there wasn’t much left besides weekly maintenance. Though he was working on a way to remove that too. The only thing left was to work on the vocal box and emotions. Unfortunately both issues weren’t something easily fixed.

“Eustass-ya.” A mechanical voice spoke.

Kid looked up, pushing his googles up against his fiery red hair. The voice reminded him that he would need to continue working on his vocal box. Since the beginning, he always had a verbal tic. At first he thought it was something with the he program, but soon found Law only had it after a person’s name. It didn’t sound just right to him, but he found it charming so didn’t bother with it. He _did_ have to work on the how mechanized it sounded. His attention looked back down at the re-wiring. He was in the middle of remodeling and fixing the android’s arm after an accident involving slamming the door onto it. “What is it, Law?”

“Why do people get tattoos on their bodies?”

Eustass shrugged. “Depends on the person, they get it for different reasons. There isn’t a single right answer for that.” He never mind ink, but he never gotten around to getting one, nor did he find he wanted one. “Why did you want some?” 

“I do not know. They look interesting in the movie. I understand it involves maintenance at first, but I do not know how I would be able to get one when it involves needles. Would it break the wires in certain areas?”

“How did you figure that out?” His head immediately looked at his computer in the corner noticing the screen was on. “You figured out my password?”

“Your birthday is not a sufficient password, Eustass-ya.”

He frowned, if he hadn’t known that the man couldn’t have any emotions, he could imagine a smug smirk on him. “It’s the easiest to remember.”

“People would break into it very easily, you should clear your history as well.” He spoke easily, looking at the screen again.

“What were you doing in my history?!”

“I was curious on what you look at. I often see you on there for long periods of time.”

Eustass let out a sigh. “Well I did tell you to understand people so you can interact with them.” He finished up the arm and walked over to reattached the arm back onto the body. “Alright, that should do it.“

“What happened to your hand?” Law’s grey eyes stared at the bad stitching job on his left hand. 

“Huh?” He looked down at his hand before realizing it. “Oh yea, forgot about that. Had an accident with a knife.”

“You seem to be accident prone or causing accidents, Eustass-ya.” 

Eustass flushed in embarrassment. “I am not! We are not talking about this anymore.” He walked away to his computer. “I’m going to work on something, do what you want.”

Law nodded as he left, heading back upstairs.


	2. Ulterior

As the week continued on, Eustass persist in working on the programming for Law. It was impossible to make him feel anything as the android didn’t have a heart to begin with, but with the free time he had, he wanted to at least try. It really would be his greatest creation if he was able to create a machine that could behave like a human.

He kept monitoring Law’s basic understanding of interaction. For the most part, Law was able to hold a conversation well enough. His expression was always neutral. It was something that frustrated the redhead. Was there a way to emote different emotions?

“What are you working on, Eustass-ya?”

And there was also his vocals. It was even, monotone. He wasn’t sure if there was an answer to fix his vocals. Much like his emotions, was it possible to have the voice sound more human?

“Eustass-ya.” Law repeated. “You seem to be in a daze. I’ve read that humans often end up like this when they do not have a sufficient amount of sleep. It is also possible that you are under deep thought?”

Kid looked into his eyes again. “I was deep in thought.”

“Is there a reason why?”

“It’s like when you’re processing data in your head, Law. I was trying to think of a solution to your problem.”

“I do not find it as much of a problem as you do, as I am still able to process thoughts. Is that not enough?”

Shrugging at the idea, he got out of his chair, stretching. “Possibly, but it would be interesting to see if we can teach you about emotions.”

“I understand for the most part. Humans have emotions that expresses their thoughts and actions. Such as smiling. Humans smile when they are happy. If they are sad, then tears will often come out of their eyes.”

Kid chuckled at the description. “Well that is the basics, but emotions can be complex.”

“I find nothing about them complex. They seem very straightforward to me.”

“Well some people cry when they’re happy too.”

Despite his neutral expression, he had imagined the machine was a least a little bit confused while he attempted to process the statement. “Why would you cry if you are happy? Are you sad and happy at the same time?”

Kid folded his arms. “I actually haven’t got a clue. But I’ve seen many girls do that. Especially during a joyous occasion.”

“That is strange.”

Before they could continue a doorbell rung announcing someone’s arrival. “I forgot, I wanted you to meet someone.”

“Is it a friend of yours?”

“Yea, he works with me.” Kid grinned, waving a hand to motion him to follow upstairs. “I’ll bring him to the living room, so go there.”

Law nodded and headed there, out of sight.

Kid wanted to surprise his friend after all. He knew he’s been curious on what the redhead was up to. As he approached the front entrance, he opened the door, grinning. A man with long blonde hair had his arms folded, frowning a bit. His hair had covered his eyes, but he could feel the glare from behind.

“Well it’s nice to see you too Killer.” Stepping back to allow him to come in.

He walked in, anger still seething from him. “You chose a lousy day to take a day off, Kid.”

“What happened?” His friend didn’t get angry often, he was the one that tried to keep the peace between him and their customers. For someone to anger him was a huge accomplishment, though the backlash wasn’t worth it.

“Trouble with that bastard Bellamy and some of his goons. They decided to graffiti the side of the shop. Me and the other guys spent half the day removing it.”

“Was it at least good graffiti?”

“That’s not the point. They put the mark of the Donquixote group along with other things. The last thing we need is any association with them..”

Kid grinned wickedly. “It’s fine, we’ll return the favor later ten fold. Now come on, I want to show you someone.”

“You seem to be in a chipper mood. I thought you hated people?”

“And I still do, but let’s say he’s a bit… Different.” Kid turned on his heel and went towards the living room, where Law sat on the couch.

Law turned his head looking directly at Killer when they entered. Killer nodded towards him before looking at his friend again, confused.

“So, who is he? I’ve never seen him in town before.”

“He’s Trafalgar Law. Law, say hi to Killer.” Motioning the smaller man to come towards him.

Law stood and walked in front of Killer, holding his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Killer-ya.”

After hearing his monotone mechanical voice, Killer’s head whipped towards Kid. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

The reaction amused Kid. He had known the man would yell at him. “I told you I wanted to try build one and this one was the one that ended up working.”

“I know you hate people, but building yourself a robot for company shouldn’t have been the first approach.”

Kid only shrugged as he sat down in one of armchairs. “He’s better company than some of the shits that live in town.”

Killer scowled as he shook the android’s hand that was still extended out and sat in the armchair opposite from him. “I was wondering why you were in a better mood lately. So it’s from this… Thing?”

Kid glared at Killer. “This thing’s name is Trafalgar Law, Killer.” He knew that Law himself couldn’t feel any emotion and wouldn’t take insult to the comment. But it did anger him. His own creation belittled down to just a mere object of insignificance.

“It’s a robot.” Killer stated.

“I am technically an android by definition, Killer-ya.”

Silence held his tongue as he stared at Law before running his hand in his tangled hair. “Whatever you are, you are a talking machine.” He spoke curtly before looking at Kid. “So you wanted to introduce me to a machine?”

“Yes, I wanted to know what your opinion of him?”

Killer let out a deep sigh before leaning back against the chair. He had grown up with Kid since birth. The thought of him creating company to talk to instead of interacting with the other people in town wasn’t something that strange in Kid’s book. If anything, he was surprised that Kid hadn’t done it earlier. “Well you could have fooled me if it didn’t talk. The voice gave it away.” He paused to give another look towards Law. “I’m guessing the clothes cover up the mechanical parts?”

“Well it wouldn’t help if you guessed right away. I thought I’d at least try to trick you first.” He was relieved when his friend hadn’t mind, but was more excited on showing his creation to someone.

Killer got up. “May I?”

“Go ahead. Law, remove your shirt so he can look at you.”

Law nodded as unbuttoned the shirt. His finger easily went through each button, but when he tried to remove his arms, he found it difficult. The fabric caught in one of his joints. “It looked simple on the screen. It is different in real life.”

“Your limbs aren’t exactly flexible like a humans.” Killer stood by him, helping him out of his shirt before inspecting the arm. “It looks like a prosthetic arm.”

He looked closely at the metal. The long sleeved have covered all the stainless steel underneath except for the hand. The hand had a skin-like cover, mimicking human skin, but upon closer observation, it was latex. The latex also covered his head and neck area leaving the rest of his body mechanical with silver plating that covered the wires. “Are you planning on covering it all up with skin latex?”

“I didn’t think that far yet.” He would like to. It would give Law a human appearance. Make him more realistic. “I’ve been concentrating on his voice though. Do you have any ideas?”

“I can look into it, but it’s not like we can give it life to it. Even if his voice is able to ”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.”

“Killer-ya, I have a question.” Gaining the blond’s attention. “Do you murder people for a living, is that why your name is Killer?”

The two stared at Law at what seemed like an innocent question. And it usually was, but not many would dare ask the man. Eustass bursted into laughter. Killer sighed heavily, almost used to the question.

“Don’t worry about it Law.”


	3. Sound

The following weeks, Killer stopped by more often, working on the programming for Law’s vocal box. The two spent hours down in the basement working. Law watched them while reading. He had gone through all the movies in the house and now he had moved on to books. While Kid was away at work, he would browse online to learn various topics he found interest in, but once he was home, he stuck to the few books Kid had laying around. He had read the book he was holding three times now. It was a thick textbook on medicine. Apparently one of his customers left it at the shop and never picked it up. So he took it home for Law.

“I’m going to head home for the night, Kid. It’s late.” Killer broke the silence. He grabbed his bags.

“You could just stay over.” Kid didn’t take his eyes off the screen as he continued working.

“Your house is in the middle of no where and I have to open shop tomorrow. I’ll see you tomorrow Kid.” He waved to his friend and Law and left.

Law watched before turning his attention to Kid, who kept working. He got up, closing his book and walked over. “Eustass-ya, will you be working tomorrow?”

“Yea, Killer lives the closes to the shop so he usually opens it.” Rubbing his eyes, he turned to the android. “What time is it?”

“Twelve minutes and thirty-eight seconds before midnight.”

He let out a yawn as he stood up to stretch. “That late already? Guess I should head to bed too.”

Law watched before looking at screen. “Were you able to get closer to the solution?”

“Nah, no good. I’ll try again tomorrow. You can use the computer if you want. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Law.” He trudged upstairs.

“Good night, Eustass-ya.” Law spoke before looking at the work the two had left. “Chapter eleven, page one hundred and ten.” He recited. “Inputs and outputs.”

* * *

“I don’t think it’s possible to teach a machine how to feel.” Killer spoke as he opened the door to the car. He turned on the car. “How’s the engine?”

Kid’s eyes watched the engine ignite and sputter and shook his head. “No, this thing is shot. Turn it off.” The engine stopped and Killer returned back to Kid’s side, looking at the work in front of them. “I’m sure there’s a way to make a machine feel if it’s able to process data and speak to us.”

“I think you’ve inhale enough of these car fumes, Kid.” His finger pointed towards the engine. “I’ll tell them they’ll have to replace the engine or buy a new car.”

“Tell them to buy a new car, replacing the whole engine would cost just as much.” He removed the stand and closed the lid. Grabbing the cloth in his back pocket, he cleaned the grim from his hands. “And tracking down this engine isn’t easy.”

“It’s their choice, I’ll go call them.” As Killer left, two of his other workers walked in, waving to him.

“Boss, it’s done.” A tall man with shaggy long light blue hair approached him. “Bellamy has been taken care of.”

“Good work you two. That’ll teach him to mess with my shop.”

“Kid.” The deep voice drew attention to the tallest of the two. “The hideout had the Donquixote marking. Do you think it’ll be fine?”

Kid looked up to Wire. The man never spoke unless necessary. For him to speak meant something was worrying him. The Donquixote group wasn’t someone to mess with. That didn’t mean he would take any bullshit standing down. But even he admitted to not wanting to deal with them. Their sneaky approach sickened him, he rather approach it head-on. A grim thought passed by him as he looked at the two. “We shouldn’t have a problem, but stay on alert. Those fuckers may start something.”

* * *

He walked into his house, slamming the door shut with his foot. He was right to stay on alert. As he thought, Bellamy’s underlings had decided to do a drive by shoot while he was heading back. Cowards, if he wanted a fight, Kid will gladly oblige. But those bastards decided to drive off instead. If only they knew what lousy shooters they were, missing most of the shots and only grazing his arm.

The stinging and burning feel that was left behind did bother him. He should have went to Killer afterwards to get it patched up, but his house was already there. And he figured that he was still walking and the wound wasn’t that bad. Annoying, but not life threatening. He’ll just put a band-aid on or something.

There was also Law. The past few weeks, he and Killer have been working tirelessly on the program. There was something they were missing. And he felt bad that the machine was left to its own accords.

As he turned, he immediately noticed Law by him, inspecting his arm. The cold fingers moved his hand away as he looked at the wound. How long was he standing there for? How didn’t he notice him when he walked in? “When did you…?”

“It looks like your arm was grazed by a bullet. It does not look that deep.”Kid’s eyes widen as he heard Law speak. Instead of the usual mechanical voice that spoke, a deeper tone came out instead. It still sounded mechanized, but it was more human than before. A depth to it’s voice.

He hadn’t noticed that Law had gotten him to the living room until he was pushed to sit down on the chair. “I will go get the disinfectant for your wound, Eustass-ya.”

Before he could leave, Eustass jumped to his feet. “What did you do to your voice?”

Law stopped and turned to look at him. “I reprogrammed it.”

“I know that! But how?”

“I took the voices from the movies and programmed it. Once there was enough data, I re-pitched it.”

He stared in disbelief, the answer was that simple. It would make sense though. Having an already active voice that can change tones easily would have cut down most of the work. Rather than working on a monotone voice and making that change tones. “How did you figure this out?”

“I was reading your programming book. Then did research online and looked through your work when you went to bed.” He stated. “If I calculated the rate of time for you to complete it. It would be another month or two depending on other external variables.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did you just insult me?”

“I was stating the facts. I will get the disinfectants now.” He turned around and left this time.

He scowled a bit before looking at his wound. It didn’t look bad at all. At least not as bad as some of the wounds he’s gotten while working. But it did sting. His head turned towards the door to check if Law had returned only to nearly jump out of his skin. The android stood in front of him with a first aid kid in his hands. “Stop that!”

Law only looked at him. “Stop what?”

“Appearing out of no where!”

“Sorry.” He said, but it didn’t sound like it. He approached the side of Kid’s arm, taking hold of it with one hand.

He was hesitant, watching Law inspect his arm again much like a doctor would. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“I can guess from the movies.”

“You know the movies aren’t always accurate…”

“I’ve also read it in a book.”

Before he could comment back, Law laid the wipe onto the arm, rubbing it in. He refused to scream as he clutched his hand into a fist, glaring at Law. “Damn it that stings!”

Law only looked at him. “I did not think someone like you would feel that pain. The person in the movie didn’t say anything while being treated.”

“I told you that movies aren’t accurate!” Kid frowned, holding onto his arm as he looked at Law. Despite his expression still remained neutral, he can almost sense a teasing tone from him. “You did that on purpose didn’t you?”

He sounded amuse even if his facial didn’t show it. “Of course not. I was only trying to help.”

“Like hell you were!”

“But I would like to keep practicing. Could you perhaps get hit next time, Eustass-ya?” He teased.

“Fuck no!”


	4. Thankful

Kid reviewed and went through the steps of what Law told him. The process of creating a human voice. Once he understood the process, he re-worked the current voice along with Killer. It wasn’t 100% human, but now it was harder to tell it wasn’t. Kid grinned happily at his progress while he was re-updating the program into Law.

“It’ll take about ten minutes for the program to update. I’ll turn you back on when it’s done so you can power down, Law.”

Law nodded as he closed his eyes, shutting down.

Kid plugged in a few wires before starting up the program. When it began to run, he walked towards Killer. “So what do you think?”

He was working on the next step, facial expression. Papers were scattered in front of him and a few books were opened here and there. He turned his head towards him. “I feel like you’re starting to become obsessed, Kid.”

“Of course, it’s my creation and we’re getting somewhere now. We’re so close to being finished.”

“Right…” He still sounded worry, but Kid could only look at the android excitedly. They were one step away. The last one. Law understood emotions, all they had to do was to engineer a way for him to emote them. “So which movie did he take the vocals from?”

“Movies. You know that one actor in the spy movie I like? He was also in that other action movie too.” Killer nodded. “That voice. Though he’s starting to pick up some traits from it like sneaking up on people.”

“He was able to sneak up on you?”

“He’s been doing that none stop.”

“He probably finds it amusing then.” Killer set his pen down and handed the paper towards him. “We’ll have to redesign the face as it wouldn’t be possible as it is right now.”

Kid looked through it before grabbing the pen and drawing over some of the schematics. “Well the design doesn’t look _that_ hard. It’s the programming afterwards that may cause me some issues.”

“You’ve got Law to help you think things through, don’t you? If he was able to figure out how to re-program his own voice, surely he would know how to do this type of programing as well.”

“It’s possible…” Kid muttered as he looked over towards where Law stood. He was still, his eyes were closed like he was resting. Law didn’t need any sleep, but he wondered what it would be like if he did. If the Law in front of him was real, flesh and blood. How would he act? What would he say?

“Kid. I know that look of yours.” Killer started. His eyes were peaking out from behind his hair. They were serious and held a worried look for his friend. “Are you…”

The machine started beeping, notifying Kid of completion. “Hold that thought.” He returned to the computer to turn off the notification before turning Law back on.

He removed the wires connecting Law. As he brushed against the silver plate on his torso to remove the final wire, he paused. His heart would be behind there, _if_ he was human.

“Eustass-ya, is there something wrong with that wire?”

“Huh?” He hadn’t realized Law was already booted up as he pulled the last wire out. Nor had he expected the voice. It sounded human. “I thought I saw something.” He moved away. “Oh, we’ll have to redesign your head so that facial expression is possible.”

“Am I going to walk about headless?”

“No, but it would be amusing to watch.” He chuckled.

Killer watched the two from afar, curious. He grabbed the papers and approached the two. “It would be better if he doesn’t.”

“I know, I know. It would be terrible if you damaged something because your visual camera was currently elsewhere.” Kid looked at the papers Killer handed to him. Scanning it through once more. “I’ve got a bunch of parts from previous trials, we can work with them. Law, how much of that programming book did you remember?”

“Everything word for word.”

“Good, do you know how to program emotions?”

* * *

“Eustass-ya.” His head turned towards Law’s voice. Law grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the computer. “I have finished the design.”

He had told that once the last step was finished, he would put the rest of the skin latex onto Law. He had given Law the option to choose what his appearance would look like. Killer thought it was strange, but it seemed fitting. If Law was going to have his own thoughts, why not allow him to use it?

He sat down in the chair and looked at design. “I figured you were going to get tattoos.” He grinned, looking at them. Tribal tattoos on his forearms and hands. Then one on his back. “Kinda looks like that jolly roger from that one movie.”

“I find pirates interesting humans. In the movie, they seem to hold a higher moral than the government did.”

Kid scoffed. “The government deserved what happened to them in that movie.” He looked at the other design. “Goatee and sideburns. That’s easy enough. Anything else?”

“Do not forget my eyebrows, Eustass-ya.” There was that teasing tone again.

Kid frowned. “Just because I don’t have any doesn’t mean I’d forget someone else’s.”

“Just making sure.”

He could almost imagine the grin on his face. Soon enough, he’ll be able to. Be able to emote any emotion that he would like.

“Eustass-ya. Are you tired? You have been zoning out a lot.”

“What? Oh no.” He stood up returning back to his desk. “Just thinking about something.” He grabbed the mechanical head, the test trial. He looked towards Law again. “What is it?”

“I have process the data of you from the last few weeks since you created me. From my understanding and analysis of what you talked about and who you interact with. I have come to understand that you have a selected amount of humans in which you choose to interact with. You live in a house in the middle of no where and do not like company. Yet you chose to create an android for company.”

“…your point?”

“I cannot seem to process why you would create company rather than just hang out with people. It seems like it would be more work than just having a roommate. Why not move in with Killer?”

Kid set the head down. “Well Killer is living with his boyfriend so regardless that would be awkward. Heat and Wire are rooming together somewhere in town. They prefer the city life, but I get enough of that while working. I prefer the quiet when I’m home. And not a lot of people will question whatever I decide to do here. So I moved out here to my old man’s house before he passed away.”

Law stared at him like he was contemplating on what to say next. “This is where most people from the movies would say sorry, but I do not believe I have done anything to your father to apologize for.”

Kid only blinked before bursting into laughter. He found his calculating mind interesting, almost refreshing. There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy in the machine. And he never did wanted any. That’s what he liked about Trafalgar. The android saw things as they were. Spoke without hidden meanings.

“That’s fine, never liked him anyways.” He put his arm around Law, grinning. “Besides, now I’ve got you to keep me company.”

“I enjoy your company as well, Eustass-ya.”

* * *

“It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to fix up your head.”

“I think my head is fine as is, Eustass-ya.”

“You know what I mean. We’ll then put on the skin latex and turn you back on.”

Law nodded. “Did you remember to eyebrows?”

“I will personally remind myself to forget them then.” As if he could forget, he mentioned it often enough.

Killer sighed, watching the two. “Are we planning to start any time soon? Or should I leave and come back?”

For a second, he had forgotten Killer was there as well. Feeling a bit sheepish, he scratched the back of his head. “Right, Law, shut down then.”

His grey eyes closed as his system started to slow down. It winded down and shut off, the machine stood still, silent.

Once he was quiet, Killer walked over with the tools. “You didn’t tell him about the rest of the latex?”

“I wanted to surprise him.”

“At least it’ll test how he responds to emotions.”

The two started working, removing the android’s head. The pieces were already laid out across the table. All they had to do was replace them. The process took two hours, within the next three, the rewiring took place.

Over the last few weeks of trial and error on a prototype. He realized how much the face moves for every little thing. How the muscles worked. Hell, he even sat through a lecture with Law on muscles. But he found it worthwhile, if he was able to see Law’s expression.

Law, on the other hand didn’t mind at all. He found that if he was able to process and think for himself, then he was happy as is. But Kid wanted more for Law. Law can only experience so much within the confines of his home. He can only learn so much on the computer without putting it into practice. And though he didn’t mind Law using him as a test dummy for first aid, he would prefer not getting hurt purposely just to fix it.

As they finished up the last of the wires, Kid looked up to Killer. “Thanks for helping me with this, Killer.”

Killer stared at him, almost shocked at the gratitude. “I’ve stuck through with you when you’ve done stupider stuff. You don’t need to get sentimental now.”

A small chuckle left him. “I suppose not.”

“I know how important this is to you, Kid. Don’t worry about it.”

They started putting on the latex skin on him. It took another hour before they finished, as they stood Law back up again. His eyes widen, shocked at the appearance.

“He looks human, Kid.”

“Yea. Yea, he does.” Kid turned him back on and step back.

Even though it was only a few seconds, he wanted him to hurry and wake up. Law’s eyes slowly fluttered open, he looked directly at Kid. “Is it done?”

Kid led him to the mirror they had brought down. As he approached the mirror, his eyes widen in amazement as he looked at himself. He reached to touch the mirror before noticing the tattoo on his hand. His hands brushed over the tattoos on his hand down to his forearm.

“How do you feel, Law?”

“Shocked, yet strangely happy.” He spoke as he looked at himself again in the mirror.

He grinned at the reaction. He felt proud in their work, that a machine like Law, could emote what he felt. “And you said emotions aren’t complex.”

Law slowly turned around to look at Kid again. His expression soften as he smiled. “Thank you, Eustass-ya.”


	5. Attachment

“Come on, I want you meet my friends at work.”

Law stood at the entrance, looking outside. He seemed hesitant, his feet refused to step out as he gazed at Kid again. It’s been almost six months since he’s been created and been over a week since Law has gained the ability to emote emotions. Kid thought it would be a good idea to bring Law out. At least to experience everyday life.

“Will they not know that I am not human?”

“You look human. You sound like a human. They’re going to assume you’re human.”

“And if they ask if I’m not?”

“Who would walk up to someone and ask if they’re not human?” Kid paused. The city held a bunch of strange people, there could be someone that asks that. But he doubt anyone would ask that. “Well if they do, I’ll handle them, okay?”

Law nodded before talking a step out of the house. He looked at the surround areas, curious. “So this is what the outside world looks like. It is very bright.” His eyes dilated as he squinted allowing the cameras to adjust to the glare from the morning sun.

Kid ran back into the house and returned seconds later placing a spotted white hat on his head. “Better?”

Law’s eyes readjusted as he held the bill of the hat pulling it down to shade his eyes. “Yes.”

“Good. Now come on, we’ll be late if we don’t go now.”

Kid walked down the road as Law followed closely, taking in everything around him. His eyes would sometimes narrow into small details that even Kid hadn’t notice. He couldn’t help but smile at the smaller android’s enthusiasm. For him, it really was seeing everything for the first time. He found it endearing as he answered Law’s various questions.

Kid lead him into the shop, where the others were already in. Killer noticed the two and nodded to them before returning back to getting things set up.

Wire was pushing a cart of tools towards the back. He stopped, looking at Law. He turned his head towards Kid in question.

“Where’s Heat? I want you two to meet someone.”

“I’ll get him.” Killer headed towards the back of the shop and yell out for the man. Seconds later, he appeared at the doorframe.

“Yea, boss?”

“I wanted you two to meet Trafalgar Law.” He turned his head towards the android. “These two are my friends and co-workers, Wire and Heat.”

“It is nice to meet you.”

Wire nodded to him before continuing on with his work. Heat walked over, curious about the smaller ‘man’. “Where are you from, Trafalgar?”

“I was created in Eus-“

Eustass stopped him, throwing his hand over Law’s mouth. He knew there wasn’t any harm in telling them, but he wanted to see how well Law could interact with new people. “He’s from the North Blue.”

Heat looked confused at Kid’s sudden interruption, but continued on. “What are you doing in the South Blue?”

“I do not know, Heat-ya.” Heat’s confusion continued at the sudden addition to his name. A small smirk tugged at Law’s lips. “I believe it is to keep Eustass-ya company.”

This time, Heat turned to Kid, completely confused, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. Eustass visibly blushed, rubbing the palm of his hand over his face. He was starting to realized that he should’ve told Law beforehand, a back story or something. Though the android wasn’t exactly wrong, he was created for that. He wanted company and he wasn’t about to make new friends with the assholes that lived in the city.

Killer watched in amusement, but yelled for Heat to finish getting set up. Heat complied giving his regards to Law and return to the back of the shop. He walked over after Heat left, standing where Heat once stood. “You’re not going to tell them?”

“I was curious if they would find him strange or anything. I’ll tell them at the end of shift.”

Killer snickered. “I’m sure Heat thought of something else after that.”

Kid sighed, running his hand through his red hair. “How was I supposed to know he was going to say that?”

“I had assumed that you built me for that, Eustass-ya.” Law smirked.

As soon as Kid noticed his expression, his eyes narrowed. “You did that on purpose didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t exactly lying.”He spoke, but it was clear, that the books laying around the shop, most of which were manuals had caught Law’s attention. The machine’s thirst for knowledge never cease to amaze him.

“Go look around the shop,” waving him off. “Killer’s boyfriend will stop by to bring you around the city while I work.”

“Does he know about the android situation?”

Killer spoke up before Kid could answer. “He knows, I told him about it since the project took six months and I often returned home late.”

Law nodded as he walked towards the table grabbing the car manual that had grabbed his attention. His eyes scanned over the words as he headed towards the back, closing the door behind him.

Kid watched before noticing Killer’s apprehensive look. The man had his wild, thick hair tied up allowing for his eyes to be seen clearly. “…What?”

“You know he’s _not_ real, right?”

“He technically is.” Law was as real as he could make him be. There were missing components, but figured it was as good as he could be.

“No, I mean he’s not real. He’s an android for fuck’s sake.”  
“Your point is?”

“Kid, you spent the last week, spending any waking minute talking to Law. Then you spend every working minute talking about Law.” Kid returned with the same look of disinterest. Killer let out a deep sign. “You’re getting overly obsessive with a machine.”

“Who can speak and think like a human.” Kid added.

“But he’s _not_ human.”Killer stressed. “Even if you give him all the attention possible, he can’t possible return everything a human can.”

“You don’t know that. He has been performing better than ninety percent of humans I’ve already met.”

“I’m just saying, remember, he might not be able to give everything that you may want.”

“I know what I’m doing, Killer.”Kid ended the conversation. Killer took in the thought as he returned back to work. He followed Killer closely. His eyes trained to search Law. He smiled, watching Law talk to Wire and Heat, the manual still in hand. _I know what I’m doing._

An hour later, Penguin arrived. He knocked on the backdoor gaining the attention of the four workers. He waved to Killer, smiling. Killer returned the soft smile before resuming his work. Kid walked over, calling Law to come over.

Law was in the process of analyzing how a car worked as his eyes ran through the manual. His eyes traveled from the grease stain pages to the engine Wire worked on. He closed the book, looking at Wire. “If that is the case, would the engine not overheat in that situation?”

“You would think they would understand that too.” Wire spoke as he heard Kid. “Kid is calling you.”

Law nodded as he headed towards Kid.

“I’m surprised you got Wire to talk to you.”

“He was explaining the situation of the car. I find that your customers seem to lack a common knowledge of common sense that corresponds with their own vehicle.”

Kid snorted. “They’re paying customers. So they can lack as much common sense as they want as long as they pay the price. Anyways, I want you to meet Killer’s boyfriend, Penguin.”

“Hello Trafalgar.”

Law blinked, looking at the man. “That is strange, if I remember correctly, a penguin is a flightless, aquatic bird. It possesses webbed feet similar to flippers and lives in colder regions.”

Penguin chuckled. “He is as Killer described him. I wouldn’t have guessed if Killer hadn’t told me before hand. It’s a nickname, Trafalgar. Same with Killer. It stuck so we just decided to keep it.”

“Keep him out of trouble, Penguin.”

“I will.”

The two walked around the town as Penguin pointed out to points of interest, explaining what he could to the ever curious Law. Law responded with various questions. Some were easily answered, but many flustered the poor man as he tried to look up answers to the history question. Eventually they stopped at a bench as Law’s eyes narrowed in on a shop.

“Piercing?”

Penguin’s eyes followed. “Have you heard of it before?”

“The process is quite simple. I’ve only read about it, but never seen it. Why would humans want to create a hole within themselves?”

“Appearances most likely.” Penguin listened in on Law’s mutterings, stating the step-by-step process of how to get an ear pierced. “Do you record all the data you hear and read?”

“Essentially. It goes into the data storage similar to the brain.” He pointed to his head. “But my data storage system is located in my torso area due to size.” He pointed to where the human heart would lie.

“So your brain is in your heart?”

Law nodded. “I do not need a heart as I do not require blood to live. If anything, my battery would work as a heart.”

“That sounds a bit cold when you say you don’t need a heart. Don’t you feel anything for Eustass?”

Law paused as he processed the question. As his data returned with no response to the question, he frowned a bit. “I do not know.”

“Well, what does Eustass mean to you?”

Law processed the question again. “He was the one that created me. I am forever grateful to him.”

“That’s it?”

“Was that not a sufficient answer?”

Penguin chuckled. “I supposed you are still an android first. Here I’ll give you an example. When I’m with Killer, I feel at my happiest. We can talk about everything and nothing at all. We understand each other and support each other. And I love him.”

He paused, recording the response to his database. Love, from his understanding, was a warm, passionate feeling. A tender feeling of a deep personal attachment to another person. “I do not know of this warm feeling that the dictionary depicts as love.”

Penguin sighed, figuring it was too much for an android to understand. As he was about to move on, Law stopped him. “But, I do feel very happy when I am with him. While I am gathering data when he is working, the downloading process get interrupted by stray data of Eustass-ya. It becomes bothersome as I have to start the process again.” He paused, considering his words. “But I enjoy seeing that stray data of him. It is like he is there with me.”

* * *

Kid looked up when he noticed Killer running frantically to him.

“Kid, trouble!”

“…what?”

“Doflamingo’s here.”


	6. Storm

His eyes widen as he noticed a tall, flamboyant man walking in after Killer. A wide grin that was plaster to his face as he took long strides towards him. Kid’s eyes narrowed as he got up to face him. “Eustass Kid. I didn’t think we would have the pleasure of meeting face to face. Yet here I am.”

For the boss of a dangerous group to know his name wasn’t something he’d like. As flattering as it was, he’d prefer to not deal with him right now. “Unless you have something that needs fixing, leave. I have work to do.”

“And here I was hoping we could converse a little. Especially after what your little friends did to one of my territories.” He towered over Kid easily once he was close. The grin never left his face and though his tone didn’t sound threatening, Kid felt on edge the moment he was near.

Kid scoffed as he started to grin himself. If the man wanted trouble, then so be it. He wasn’t one to stop it, no, if anything, he found a thrill in causing it. “Say that again, when your minions aren’t running around mucking up my shop first.”

Chuckling sinisterly, his grin only widen at the statement. “It was an invitation, but I guess you didn’t appreciate my gift.”

“Invitation, my ass. Putting that piece of shit on my shop was you claiming it.”

“Oh?” He sat down on one of the tables, stretching out his long limbs. Kid only glared, he couldn’t describe how quickly he wanted him out and here he was getting comfortable. “I guess your friends didn’t mention it?”

Eustass stared in confusion before Killer cleared his throat, drawing their attention towards him. “I think I was clear when I spoke to Bellamy. We aren’t interested in your offer.”

“What offer?” He was starting to get agitated. The fact that someone had come here before bothered him, but for him not to know about an offer regarding something of his was even worst.

“I had asked for this shop to personally work under me. The work here is well received. And the location seems perfect enough.”

Kid frown deepen. “As if I’d work under someone else. If that was all we were going to talk about then fuck off. I’ll say this again, so clean those ears of yours. I’m not interested.”

The threat didn’t phase the older man as he chuckled. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “For a student from Mariejois to act like this, I see the standards have dropped since I was last there.” Eustass could feel the veins popping out from his forehead as his eyes narrowed at the mention of the school. “Oh, but you were expelled, weren’t you? That explains it.”

Before he could launch himself to strangle the man, Killer intervene, stepping in front of Kid. Doflamingo laughed heartily at the response. “Kid, think before you do anything.”

“I am thinking!” He snarled. He sidestepped in attempts to get past him, but Killer was one move ahead of him.

“The rumors of you being as hot-headed as your hair were true after all. But that’s what also got you in trouble last time didn’t it?”

“How the fuck do you know that?”

“I’ve got my ways.”

He growled, attempting to attack him again. Killer pushed him back. “Oi, Kid!”

Fuming, Kid glared at the taller man. Through his gritted teeth, he spat out. “Get the fuck out of my shop!”

Doflamingo snickered, clearly amused as he got up. “We shall meet again, Eustass Kid. Do get your manners in check until then.” He turned around almost walking into Law and Penguin when the two entered the room.

Both Kid and Killer’s eyes widen when they noticed the two, Kid’s anger immediately dissipated. Penguin flinched, slowly taking a few steps back when he recognized the blond. Law, on the other hand stood where he was. There was a tense air where they were, His eyes looked towards Penguin in confusion for answers, but the hatted man kept his gaze away. Looking up towards the Doflamingo, he kept his face neutral before walking pass him.v

The man was curious. And though his eyes were covered, they followed after the android, intrigued. “And who would you be? I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here.”

“My name is Trafalgar Law. I am from the North Blue. Excuse us.” He spoke as he walked around, returning back to Kid. Penguin paled, but followed after the machine, keeping his gaze down. Doflamingo’s grin widen, but made no other efforts to converse as he left the shop.

Eustass’ eyes narrowed watching the man saunter out. He pulled Trafalgar behind him once he got closer. He didn’t trust anything about the man and those eyes that followed after made him refueled his anger.

Law watched the man leave. He looked down at one of pink feathers that had fallen. Reaching out, he picked up the soft material, examining it close before looking at Kid. “Eustass-ya, who was that?”

“Doflamingo, fucking bastard is looking for a fight.”

* * *

As the day was turning to dusk, the two headed home. There weren’t any other troubles that came along after Doflamingo. It ended like any other day. He was grateful for that, his mood hadn’t gotten any better afterwards. He felt on edge with a need to punch something.

The sky was darkening quickly as Kid started to feel light rain drops fall from the sky. He hadn’t remembered anything about rain in the forecast. Then again, when were they ever right? “Law, we’re going to start running.”

Law was holding his hand out to the rain, intrigued as he watched the beads of water on his palm. “Is this rain?”

“Yea.” He grabbed the outstretch hand, pulling Law into a run. Law started to follow as his cold hands clasped with Kid’s warm ones.

South Blue was always known for the heat, but the rainy season could be just as bad. The torrential downfall wasn’t something anyone wanted to be caught in. As the rain started to get heavier, he brushed the strands of red hair out from his eyes. _Just a few more blocks and-_ He flinched feeling a spark against his hand. Letting go, he turned to look at Law.

Law froze once his hand was let go. Small fumes of smoke was leaving the body as he shook from every spark.

Kid’s eyes widen. “Shit! Law! Turn yourself off!”

The mechanical body was shaking as Law was trying to speak. It came out as gibberish and static. Kid knew he wasn’t in pain, the android wasn’t capable of feeling pain, but it nearly felt like he did. Kid wanted to help, but how could he?

“Turn off, Law!” He yelled again.

After Law tried to speak again, none of which was coherent, he closed his eyes, shutting down. He stood still, sparking once or twice more before staying silent. As soon as Kid deemed it was safe, he picked him up and ran to the house. He was worried as he set the machine down, grabbing towels to dry him. He hadn’t consider the fact that Law would one day leave the house. Nor did he consider that it often rain during this time of year.

As soon as he was dried, he brought him downstairs for maintenance. He cursed at himself as he basically dismantle the android to work on the wires. As if today wasn’t bad enough. The skin latex had helped with majority of the rain, but there were still areas where the water got in. He memorized each area that was damaged as he replaced and rewired the parts. Mentally, making a note to seal the areas better once the last piece was fixed and Law was reassembled.

As he turned the machine on, he told himself to keep a watch for the weather in the next few months. He smiled when Law’s grey eyes opened again.


	7. Set

Kid checked though his schematics, circling over areas where Law had the most rain damage. It would be a problem if they were always on the watch for rain especially during this season when rain was unpredictable. It’s only been a few days since the accident, but the thought of Law broken like that had left him scared. With that thought in mind, he kept on working on the new remodel. Now, if only he could focus.

Law watched from the other side of the room, peering over from the computer. His creator, for the past half an hour had been in the same position, not moving a muscle. _Thirty-four minutes and eighteen seconds since his last movement._ He observed before getting to his feet. As he approached Eustass, he peered over his broad shoulder. “What are you changing now?”

“I’ve gotta remodel your torso area, we were lucky the water didn’t damage your memories or anything significant.” Tapping his pen lightly against the wood before letting it spin over his finger. The throbbing headache hadn’t cease to stop. If anything he felt it had gotten worst since the afternoon. Glossing his eyes over the scribbled notes, he rubbed them roughly. “Did you notice anything different while you were operating?”

“No, everything functioned correctly.” Law took the seat next to him as he looked at the huge sheet of paper. “Since you are already remodeling, can you remodel something else?”

“What, more tattoos?” He joked as he turned around in his chair.

Law smirked at the suggestion, leaning his head against his hand. “Maybe later, I want my ears pierced.”

Kid chuckled, the machine never ceased to surprise him. “Sure, just add it into the schematics.”

Law took the pen drawing in two dots on each ear. “In this area, two on each side.”

“Simple enough. We could probably use the laser cutter for this and put four dots in.” As he started to write in notes, he looked through it one last time. It wouldn’t take long. All he had to do was order new material, rebuild and test it. The testing part could be dangerous.

The android watched over him. He noticed that Kid’s face was slightly flushed. Curious, he reached out touching Kid’s forehead lightly, his cold nimble fingers brushing against the hot skin.

Eustass jumped at the sudden contact, knocking the chair over. He looked at Law dumbfounded. Law blinked, confused at the reaction. “I read in books and saw in movies that when someone looks sick, another person would check by putting their hand on their forehead.” He then looked at his hand. “But I cannot measure a human’s temperature by touch now that I think about it.”

He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. “Well, we can always try to find a way around that.” The sudden movement had left the room spinning. His hand gripped onto the desk as he waited for the spinning to stop.

Law grabbed his arm, holding him steady. “Are you okay, Eustass-ya?”

“Yea, I’m going to my room.” As he started to walk away, Law followed closely behind him, concerned as the man stumble up the stairs. A few steps out of the basement, Kid was started to waver again, using the wall to hold him up.

“Your face looks redder now, Eustass-ya.” He put one of Kid’s arms around his shoulder, leading him towards the bedroom.

“I’m fine.” He spoke roughly. “Just need to lay down.” He took another step, before falling forward. Instinctively, Law grabbed his arm, trying to prevent the fall. As he tried to pull Kid back up, he noticed the weight was pulling at the wires near his shoulder. His other hand grabbed Kid, trying to use his own body weight to pull Kid up.

_Snap._

His grey eyes widen as the next few seconds flashed by him. Eustass fell onto the floor with Law’s arms still holding onto him. He looked down at where his arms used to be noticing the sparking wires that spilled out from his body on both side. He sent a command down towards his hands only for it to leave an error.

He looked at the wires before looking down at Eustass again. The man had laid on the floor, breathing heavily, his face flushed. Using his feet, he moved him carefully so he was on his back. His eyes recorded each of Kid’s symptoms, relying the information to his data. “According to my analysis, it appears you have flu-like symptoms, Eustass-ya.” He looked down at his arms again. “…this might be a problem.”

* * *

Killer was heading towards Kid’s house after the rain had lighten. The man hadn’t expected to get a call from none other than Trafalgar at this time at night asking for him to come. From what he understood, Eustass had fallen ill and he couldn’t help. Killer had guess that the rain might have caused it. Kid often forgot his umbrella if it didn’t rain in the morning despite that it’s been raining all week.

“Was Eustass acting strange when he was working today?” Penguin had insist on coming to check on him. The man was working towards his doctor’s license. What better way than to practice.

“No, he acted as he normally did in the mornings, but I was dealing with shipments for the past few days to see him.”

As they approached the house, Killer closed the umbrella, shaking some of the water out. Penguin rang the doorbell. When there was no answer, Penguin rang it again. Killer watched, frowning a bit. The machine didn’t sound alarmed when he called. So he had assumed anything too serious.

“Kid! Trafalgar! You in there?” Killer yelled out.

The sound of something hitting the door replied back. The two looked at each other, before coming to a silent agreement that they were both just as confused as the other.

“Hello? Law? Eustass?”

“Penguin-ya?” Law’s voice responded from the other side.

“Damn it, Trafalgar, speak like a normal person next time. Open the door.”

“I cannot, my arms were ripped off.”

“Ripped off?!”

Killer frowned pulling out his set of keys. Quickly flipping through a few of them before grabbing the correct key and unlocking the door. His eyes immediately scanned the area, looking around for any sense of danger. The machine looked fine besides the missing limbs. And nothing looked damaged. Now all he needed to find was Kid.

Penguin’s eyes widen at the android. The wires had stopped sparking, but the image wasn’t pleasant. The short sleeve dress shirt he wore also show signs of damage from the edges blackening along with both sides of his torso.

“What happened?” Penguin asked.

“Eustass-ya fell due to a flu. I had not realized that I would not be able to carry that amount of weight.” The machine led the two towards the redhead, still laying on the floor.

Killer was immediately by his side, putting one arm around his shoulder and bringing him up to his feet. “Oi, Kid!” When no response came back, he looked at Penguin. “Grab his other side.”

Penguin obeyed, quickly putting it over his shoulder as the two brought him towards his room. Once Kid was in bed, Penguin gave him a check up as Killer approached Law.

“Come on, we need to talk while I attach those arms of yours.”

The two headed downstairs to the basement. Law sat down on a chair as Killer grabbed some tools. He frowned as he worked on Law’s limbs. The wires had snapped in two. For now he’ll just reattach the wires. He’ll make a note for Kid to replace them later.

He wasn’t in the right mind set to complete the task. As for right now, he was mad. The man seemed fine, yet he hadn’t noticed Kid’s health. Even if he hated to admit it, if Trafalgar wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have known. But then again, his eyes looked around the room noticing the mess it was in. _If Trafalgar wasn’t here, he wouldn’t have to deal with any of this either._

“Didn’t you notice anything strange with him?” Killer spoke breaking the silence.

“No, he has been working in the basement once he got home. I usually read during that time. He did not appear any different.”

“You’re with him almost all the time! And you didn’t notice anything?” Killer snapped.

Law frowned, annoyed at his sudden tone. “I cannot do something I am not programmed to do.”

“You’ve been programmed to understand situations and use what you learn. You’ve been reading those goddamn medical books for how long and can’t understand the situation that he was sick?”

“I did understand he was sick.” He retorted.

“Not soon enough!” As soon as Killer attached the last limb, he stood up, grabbing Law’s shirt and lifting him up. “Damn it! Understand the symptoms next time!”

Law face turned neutral, neither panicking nor showing any sign of anger. His eyes had wandered towards his arms instead. When his fingers started to move again, his gaze returned back to Killer. “You were with him at work too, right? Why didn’t _you_ notice him then?”

Something in him snapped at the sudden statement. It was something that had annoyed him too, but he didn’t need a machine to remind him of it. His eyes narrowed as he raised a fist back.

“Killer!” The familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. His eyes, turning towards the staircase instead. His boyfriend ran towards him. “It’s not going to help if you’re going to break him again!”

“Well it’ll sure as hell help my mood!” Killer snarled, but his arm never moved.

“Calm down.” He gently placed his hand on Killer’s raised arm. “Go check on Eustass, Killer. He’s awake. Me and Law will make him some food so he can take his medicine, okay?”

Frowning at the suggestion, he gave one last look towards Trafalgar before set him down. He heard the two talk begin to talk, but left quickly. There were other matters more important now. He knocked on the door before entering. “Kid?”

Eustass was standing in the bathroom, washing his face. His head tilted to check who it was before standing up. He walked out, wiping the towel over it. “Hey Killer.”

“You okay now?”

Eustass nodded as he changed into a pair of pajamas. “Yea, thanks for fixing Law up. I hadn’t thought about the amount of weight he could hold. I’ll have to fix that too.”

Killer sighed at the mention of the android again. He gave Kid another look over. The man looked fine, but his pale skin always hid the symptoms well. “Kid, you really should find someone that can take care of you.”

He raised browless brow at his friend. “I think Law is doing fine. If we don’t account for the broken limbs, he would’ve been able to get me upstairs fine.”

“…If you say so…” The man was still sick, even if he didn’t look like it. He was sluggish while putting on his clothes. “What did Penguin say?”

“Something about the flu.” He started to climb into bed again. His movement was slow.

“You should stay home tomorrow then, I’ll tell the others.” Letting out a sound of agreement, he fell flat onto his stomach. “Where’s Law?”

Killer folded his arms, letting out a sigh. “Making food with Penguin. You haven’t eaten yet?”

“Was busy. And it wasn’t that late, when I got upstairs.”

“It’s almost eight. You left work four hours ago.”

Kid shrugged, removing his goggles before running his fingers through his red strands. It wasn’t uncommon for him to forget when he was caught up in his work. Killer remembered how much of a workaholic Kid could be. Especially when he found a greater joy in what he was working on.

* * *

Law opened the door gently as he poked his head into Kid’s room. The man was in bed, using a desk light to illuminate the book on his lap. He was asleep, his head against the headboard.

The machine walked over silently placing a square box on the nightstand. He looked at the book, noticing the with formulas written down. He reached to pull it out, his grey eyes scanning over the page before noticing the redhead moving.

Eustass shifted, opening his eyes. “Law?”

Law turned his head as he closed the notebook, setting it on the table. “You should be resting, Eustass-ya.”

He chuckled. “I slept enough on the floor when you dropped me.” He sat up, stretching a bit. “I thought you were downstairs on the computer.”

“I was, but then midnight struck. I wanted to check to see if you were awake.”

“You assumed I would be up at midnight?”

Law smirked. “You’re up now, aren’t you?”

He rubbed his eyes, his mind was still half asleep. “Did you need something?”

“Today is January 10th. According to your birth certificate, it is your birthday today.” Law grabbed the present again. His expression soften as he handed it towards him, smiling. “Happy birthday, Eustass-ya.”

He blinked a few times, unsure on what just happened. Taking the present in his hands, he smiled back. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Is it not customary to give a gift on a person’s day of birth?”

“It is, but not a lot of people do after you get older.” He ripped through the wrapping paper.

Law watched the pieces of shredded paper fall. “Why did people invent wrapping paper when it gets ripped apart and tossed away?”

“It looks more decorative than a plain box, I suppose.” He lifted the lid and noticed four gold bangles. He picked one of them up, measuring them with his arm. Without a second though, he slid them on, two on either wrist.

“I thought it would match your extravagant attire.”

Kid grinned at the statement. He was known for his attire and didn’t often care what others thought about it. “Are you trashing on my clothes now?”

Law sat down by him and Kid’s eyes darted directly towards the two golden earrings on both of his ears gleaming in the light. A casual smirk tugged at his lips again. “At least we’ll match.”


	8. Knack

Eustass grumbled, crossing his arms as he sat obediently in bed while Law removed the thermometer from his mouth. Since morning, Killer had called to tell him that he wasn't allowed to show up to work, while Law has prevented him to leave his bed unless it was for the bathroom. Penguin had left specific instructions for Law, which the machine has undoubtedly followed. 

"Thirty-nine degrees Celsius." He spoke before looking at Kid. "You are to stay in bed to rest." 

"I feel fine, I've already slept enough." Sure, he felt weak, but there were other things to worry about. He was more keen on working. When Law folded his arms disapprovingly, he let out a deep sign. "I'll stay in bed, but at least give me my notebook." 

"I was given specific instructions to make sure you rest." He walked towards the tv monitor turning it on before returning back with the remote. "Here. Use this to distract yourself then." 

Kid glared at the android's smug grin. Law often found enjoyment when he would return back from work in an injury. It gave him a chance to practice first aid. Kid hadn't minded it much, the wound would've just gotten a band aid over it anyways. Yet with this flu, he was being treated like a child from a machine who wasn't even a year old. And he positive the machine was milking every moment of it. 

"Fine, can you put in the order for the materials then? The list is downstairs on the blueprints." 

Law nodded as he went to the bathroom and grabbed a small basin full of water. Kid nearly jumped out of bed when he saw the water nearly spilling. 

"Hey! Be careful of that! You're not waterproof yet." 

Setting the bowl down, he looked towards the redhead. "I know what I'm doing." He grabbed the dried rag and dipped it into the water gently, allowing it to soak. Eustass watched anxiously, the last thing he wanted was another malfunction. The nimble fingers slowly picked up the rag, twisting it to allow the excess water to drip. He folded it and placed it on Kid's forehead. "Now lay down and rest. Doctor's orders." 

Gritting his teeth, his eyes narrowed. "You're not even a doctor." 

"Yes, but Penguin is almost one." He returned the basin back to the bathroom before wiping his hands and leaving Kid to the sounds of the tv. 

His red eyes stared at the television before grabbing the remote. There wasn't anything of interest on as he flipped through it. He groaned in boredom before looking at the door again. He hadn't heard anything for the android. Within the next few minutes, he got up carefully. His eyes darting towards the door, checking again before tiptoeing around the room. He searched for his notebook high and low, but it never showed up. He headed towards his bookshelf grabbing one of his spare notebooks. He returned back to bed, swiping a pen from his desk along the way. With a grin, he started working, allowing the tv to become background music. 

* * *

Downstairs, Law was looking at the notebook Kid was writing in the night before. His grey eyes recorded each note that was written. As he digitally crossed check the current data with previous stored data, he rapidly typed out code after code of his programming. Editing and updating the previous codes, his eyes tracked the progress ensuring no minor mistakes were made. 

After last night, Law had felt annoyed at what Killer had mentioned and that feeling kept growing. But after re-listening to conversation, word for word, he deemed the man had made some sense. In this moment of time, he was not adequate enough to take care of Eustass. He was not up to par in his programming. There were still many things he couldn't do. Most of which, he'll have to leave it up to Eustass to fix. For now, he'll stick with reprogramming what he can. 

He connected each wire into his torso before closing his eyes to go into hibernation mode. As his whole body started to slow down, his head fell forward as his shoulder slouched. The hands that were on the keyboard laid flat and the machine went into a quiet hum while the program updated. After a few minutes, the computer started beeping alerting the completion of the update. 

His systems started to reboot as Law's eyes opened again. They wandered down to his hands as his eyes scanned through the skin latex, labeling every wire and connection behind the metal. "I can at least modify these with the new programming." He spoke as he went to the center table, pulling out a different pair of mechanical hands. 

The previous blueprints that Eustass had on his hands had help the process go quicker along with the many pieces of scrap metal and wire that he had around. It didn't take long to remake a similar pair, but with his own modification. 

He focused on his pair of hands and scanning again to ensure nothing would go wrong. His mind turned off any electrical energy that went to his left hand and slowly started to unattached the piece, replacing it with the similar piece. Once attached, he reactivated the energy flowed through the wires giving life to the hand. Placing the hand on the table, his mind started to booth up his new program. _Calculating._ "Twelve degrees Celsius." 

He grabbed one of the cups he'd left there, placing one finger in. As his mind calculated, he spouted out, "twenty-four degrees Celsius." He then checked the thermometer in the cup and smiled. "Correct."After testing it on various other items, he quickly replaced his other hand and ran similar tests. 

An internal alarm rang within him, interrupting his current test. It was notifying that it was almost time for Eustass to take his medicine again. With one final test, he headed upstairs, moving each finger to check if it functioned correctly before going into the kitchen. 

Grabbing the apron, he put it on himself before washing his hands to start cooking. Mimicking each step that Penguin had told him while incorporating the skills he learned from various cooking videos. He felt prepared as he readied lunch. Pulling out a pot, he placed some meat in with broth and let it cook while he concentrated on dicing the vegetables. 

Quick, easy, and efficient. Law was proud of the precision of each cut. It didn't take long and his mind went towards the pot, calculating the left of time. _Temperature is a missing variable._ As he was about to place a finger into the pot to check the temperature, his wrist was grabbed and pulled away roughly. Turning his head, he noticed Eustass, a bit out of breath. 

"Eustass-ya." Law started. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Cutting him off immediately. 

"Cooking." He held up the knife in his other hand. "Is it not obvious?" 

"I know that!" He grabbed the knife setting it down carefully. His finger pointed towards the pot. "Why were you putting your hand into the pot?" 

"I washed my hands before hand, but I will wash it again now" As he tried to pull his hand from Kid's grip, it tighten. 

"That's not the point! You could damage yourself!" 

Law stared as confusion crossed his face. "The heat is not high enough to potentially melt the wires." When the explanation didn't satisfy Kid, he continued. "The conductive heat of the broth wouldn't pro-" 

He stopped when Kid pulled him into a hug. The bigger man held him close, leaning his forehead against the machine's shoulder. "Stop doing things that could potentially short circuit you. What if that happened when I wasn't there?" His tone soften. 

Law's face turn neutral, unable to process what was going on. _What is an effective way to respond to a hug?_ As he went through his storage data, nothing came up on what to do in these situations. His mind went then went to his visual data storage. He reached up slowly, returning the hug and apologizing. When his creator didn't answer, his mind started to search for another answer to this predicament. Everything was drawing up as an error. 

After several moments, he finally moved, looking towards Law. The redness on his pale skin was prevalent. His hand started to move, his cold touch covering the man's forehead. Kid looked up at the hand, staring in confusion. "You can keep trying, but we haven't figure out a way to-" 

"Thirty-five degrees Celsius." 

"…what?" 

"The temperature of your skin is currently thirty-five degrees Celsius. Average skin temperature is thirty-two point eight degrees Celsius." Law spoke. 

The redhead stared in shock, grabbing one of Law's hands. He inspected it closely, turning the hand from side to side to see any difference. "How?" 

"Using the same technology as heat sensors and recalibrating it to be able to determine what the temperature of whatever surface I touch. The heat is then converted into data for my storage to provide exact reading." 

"And you did this all in one night?" 

"The programming for that was easily adapted from the notebook you had last night." 

Kid nodded slightly before he narrowed his eyes. "You took my notebook?" 

"I was merely borrowing it." 

"I was looking for that everywhere!" 

This time Law's eyes narrowed. "Did you not rest while I was downstairs, Eustass-ya?" 

* * *

"This is not how you take care of someone who is sick!" 

Law hummed as he turned the page from his medical textbook. "This is exactly how you take care of someone who refuses to rest in bed." 

Eustass used his arms in attempts prop his upper body up. He frowned at the android, who had decided to use his stomach as a seat. His long leg crossed with the textbook on top. 

After he had eaten and taken medicine, the machine forced him into bed to rest before leaving again. Eustass had felt tired at first. A good nap sounded nice, but as he closed his eyes, his mind continued to buzz on anything that wasn't done yet. As they continued to nag at him, he opened his eyes and grabbed the notebook under the pillow to work again. _I'll just write these down before I forget._

What he hadn't thought would occur was Law returning back. His neutral face had left Kid worried as the machine left just as quickly as he arrived. A few minutes later, he returned with his heavy medical textbook. His notebook was promptly taken away and now he was in this predicament. 

"You know, you could just sit _on_ the bed!" The bed was large enough to easily hold two people. Kid had wanted comfort and space, especially for his bed. "There's _plenty_ of space!" 

"And miss the opportunity to use you as a chair?" The machine spoke smugly. 

Kid groaned, laying back down. "You would be the worst doctor if you did this to your patients." 

"It's a good thing I'm not one then." He turned the page before looking up to Kid. "Though I would prefer to be a surgeon." 

"Oh? And what kind of surgeon would you be?" 

The textbook was held up by the android as he showed him the diagram of a human heart. "Cardiac surgeon." 

"A heart surgeon? That's ironic for a machine." 

Law grinned at the answer as he set the textbook down. Reaching forward, he grabbed the rag and got off. He rewetted it before placing it over Kid's forehead again. "I think it sounds perfect for me. Now go to sleep." 

"Fine, but sit on the bed. I would like to breathe while I'm asleep." 

Kid watched the machine walked and sat by him. His grey eyes had returned back to the textbook. He was unsure why Law had always read that book continuously. The machine picked up knowledge without a need for studying. His memory file had enough data for him to store the entire internet if he wanted to. Yet he still read the book. 

It still amazed him how quickly Law had grown in such a quick amount of time. The machine functioned like a human. With the next full remodel of his body, he should be set to handle everything. As he slowly closed his eyes, the image of Law imprinted into his mind. 

His long fingers dragging against the page with his cool smokey eyes following them in sync. The beautiful tattoos on his hand and forearm against his tanned skin latex. His messy dark black hair and those earrings. The way they shined in the sun. The way they went so well with his appearance. A smile creeped onto his lips as his breathing steady and he slept. 


	9. Interpret

As soon as Penguin and Law had deemed Kid healthy enough, Kid immediately grabbed Killer speeding straight towards the basement. The last few days had been torturous for him. No work with a twenty-four hour security android on his tail. Sure, Law meant well, but there was only so much rest he could have before he was restless with a deep need of work. And there was so much to be done. 

"He did your nails?" Killer spoke as he inspected his friend's nails. "They look professionally done." 

Kid scowled yanking his hand back. "So I do shitty work, it still gets the job done." 

He let out a light chuckle. "Though I think the flame design is a bit much." 

"You think? He said that I wouldn't wake up and got bored." But he liked the flames. He stared at them again, the mixture of the red, orange and yellow. They blended nicely from the bright yellow that turned to orange and then a dark red. 

Killer sighed before getting to work. "As long as you like it. But the better question is was it necessary to use this type of steel?" He lifted up one of the sheets, placing the heavy material onto the center table. "This is basically what the Marines use for their heavy weaponry." 

"Of course, it's durable enough that I won't have to worry about him breaking or losing his limbs." He pulled Killer towards the blueprints again. "The steel is used to cover anything that could case a short circuit." Circling things such as the battery, the hard drive that held his data and the motherboard that allowed for commands to be given. "There's these areas that could get to the wires and-" 

"Or you could have given him a thicker skin latex that covered any possibility of leakage." When he noticed the incredulous look Kid had given him, he went deadpanned. "You're telling me you bought all of this steel without thinking of another solution?" When he was met with silence again, he groaned out of frustration. "And you're supposed to be the genius here?" 

"I still am!" He crossed his arms in a childish manner. "We'll be using the steel to reinforce areas to allow him to carry more weight." 

"If you say so..." The blond mutter as he started to get to work on the steel. Molding and building the exterior frame of the body. 

Kid had sense the man wanted to continue, but hadn't care to. He knew what Killer would mention next, but he didn't want to hear it. For now, he wanted to focus on Law. He wanted him to be perfect. He wasn't sure why there was this urge to fix anything and everything to maintain the android. Anytime he broke, there was a surge of frustration and guilt. Like he hadn't prepared him enough yet. Then there were moments of anxiety and fear when he was near anything that could potential harm him. But with this last remodel, all of that would change. There would be less to worry about. 

But there was something that had kept nagging Kid. He wasn't sure how much he should be concerned as it never bothered him until now. The moment he checked on the Law's programming, something had plagued his mind. Law was growing at a rapid pace, much faster than Kid had predicted. There were some codes that even Kid had a hard time deciphering. The time he left the android alone, he wondered what the machine was up to. He has assumed it was more data collection of whatever he found interest in. The programming begged to differ. 

His last update was a few days ago. A self-update that Kid had no knowledge of. It gave him the ability to accurately tell the temperature with the touch of his palms. Then there were those grey eyes Kid was fond of. The ones that analyzed and broke down things in his mind. Everything that broken down was stored and used as data or potential data that he could call upon within milliseconds. The coding was much more advanced that what a simple book could teach and yet he figured it out. 

Law had mentioned that through the formulas Kid had written in various notebooks and basic and advance methods taught from the textbook, he had formed these complicated coding. It almost sent a chill down his spine how he had put these resources together and obtained a highly advanced code that allowed him to analyze objects just by looking at them. But he also couldn't stop grinning. For he had made something that a few months ago hadn't known what a doorknob was, much less anything else, to an android that was self-efficient, calculating, and living. Someone that could think and speak for himself and not a single part of him was human. And he loved that about him. 

* * *

Law listened as Penguin was describing a recent surgery he had observed. Much like anything he deemed important, he recorded the conversation while his eyes recorded what he saw. Penguin spoke enthusiastically while using a diagram of the human body to show exactly where the surgery had took place. 

He found interest in the medical field since Eustass has brought the textbook home. A field where humans fixed other humans. It sounded similar to what Eustass was doing to him. Attempting to fix him to create a better version. While fixing machines and upgrading them were clearly easier than a human. Law could only wonder how far a human body can go. 

A human body, itself, was incredible in Law's mind. An organism that can breathe, think, and communicate without a need of processors and data. Though humans can remember information quite well, it seemed that they do not store every data and can be forgetful on certain things. Then there was the movement itself. Without a need of electricity and wires, humans moved through the use of their muscles. Similar to his motherboard that directed commands, the human brain sent commands to the muscles to move. It fascinated him. 

And then there is the human heart. Something that Law didn't need or was required to have. An organ that pumped blood into the body and provided life to function. He had considered it was similar to his battery. And in medical terms, he was correct, the function was similar, but there was also the case of how other humans viewed the heart that stumped him. 

"Penguin." Law interrupted him. 

"What is it?" 

"Humans always connect emotions to the human heart, but I've never come across anything relating to emotions for the heart in the medical book. If anything isn't emotions connected to the human brain where it processes emotions?" 

"Well you're not wrong, medically speaking." Penguin spoke. He picked up the textbook and flipped it towards a page on the brain. "The brain controls everything inside the body. Located in the frontal lobe is the anterior cingulate cortex that is believed to regulate emotional reactions." 

"Then wouldn't it be suited for emotions to be represented by the brain?" 

"The brain already symbolizes logic, intelligence, knowledge, but the heart has always been symbolic for many things. Like passion, pure happiness, love." Penguin spoke turning the pages towards the diagram of the heart. "But it can also be represented with sorrow, pain, and grief." 

Law stared at the picture of the organ. "It is a complicated organ to be able to represent both joy and pain at the same time." He picked up the textbook, looking through the page. He had memorized every word on the page, but it still baffled him to know there was much more to something pass the book. "An organ that breathes life into a human, yet can be represented in many ways. I cannot see my battery being represented in the same way." 

The hatted man let out a laugh. "No, neither can I. But something must be acting as a heart if you saw stray pieces of data of Eustass appearing." 

Law nodded as the stray data of what happened a few days ago appeared in his visual camera. He couldn't feel anything and was still unsure what had happened. "Penguin, what do you usually do when someone hugs you?" 

"You return it?" He started before shrugging. "Well depends on the person, but usually you return it by hugging back."Penguin noticed Law's silence as the machine processed the information. A grin slowly creeped on Penguin's face. "Let me guess, Eustass hugged you?" 

Law nodded. "He was worried about me sticking my hand in a pot." 

"I think anyone would be concerned." Penguin started as he looked at the machine's hands. "But for you to develop it that quickly after I only mentioned it while cooking." 

"It was a good idea and Eustass-ya created a formula that helped develop it further. It did not take that long to produce an accurate coding for it." 

"Still for Eustass to hug you, he must really care for you, Law." 

A smile tugged at his lips. "I am starting to realize." And he really has. Eustass was someone who had created him and gave him a life to live. When he wasn't busy with work, he was always finding way to update him. Law hadn't found any use for it, but if it allowed him to return the favor, he hadn't mind. He wanted to do something for him, he just had to figure out what. "Hey, tell me about Killer-ya." 

"You're not planning on doing something to him, are you?" 

"No…" Penguin gave him a suspicious look. "Well, not at this moment. I want to know more about relationships." 

"And you're interested in mines to better understand relationships? Every relationship can be different." 

"Well it's either that or the internet and movies. But Eustass-ya keeps mentioning how movies are not an exact replica of how life can be." 

Penguin chuckled. "Alright, alright. I can only imagine how strange that can turn out." 

As Law listened, he smiled at the fondness in Penguin's voice. The two had met in university, Penguin was there for the pre-med program while Killer was there for programming. Their meeting wasn't expected either when Penguin had spilled his hot coffee on him. It was then when they noticed that the other was in the same writing class. And from there it was history. They bonded over their hate of the class and spent mornings having breakfast together. They would spend hours in the library during finals, often resulting in one of them kicking the other awake. Eventually in their second year, they roomed together and by the second semester Killer had asked him out. And with a bright smile, Penguin said yes. 

Law watched the man spoke about the past, using his arms to convey the story. There were times, he noticed the man would flush in embarrassment over certain things and other times when his entire face lit up. Their history, the time they shared to the present. Law wondered, would it be possible for him to have one with Eustass. 

* * *

Law laid down on the table, his head tilted to the side to look at the headless body. The model was similar in size, replicating everything he already had in his current body. The only difference was the durability. 

Eustass looked down at him. "Your backup memories have been added to the newer body along with all the other mechanics. Last thing is just your head, the battery and your motherboard." 

Law hummed as he looked at the body again. "And here I though I was going to be a headless horsemen. We can turn the front of your yard into a cemetery and scare people who wander in." 

"Do you even know how to ride a horse?" 

He grinned. "I've seen it in movies." 

Kid laughed, shaking his head. "Uh huh." But he didn't doubt the machine couldn't do it. "Go to sleep Law. I'll wake you up later." 

As soon as the machine powered off, Eustass went to work. With steady hands, he quickly removed the latex and exterior frame. He transfer the important parts into the new body, connecting the wires up in a similar fashion from before. It didn't take long before everything was in place and the head was reattached. 

He fixed the tanned skin ensuring it covered the attachment. Once finished, he looked at the machine in front of him. Was Killer right on him being obsessed? The features that he had given the machine and the additions that were requested by Law himself were all necessary. He looked at the sleeping android. Beautiful tanned skin. Long limbs that gave him his height. The tattoos that adorned his skin. The messy dark hair and the scruffy goatee. Everything that Kid initially created has grown into it's own entity. Law, himself, was his own entity. 

As he turned the android back on, the once sleeping machine awoken. His eyes fluttered open before looking directly at Kid. His eyes wandered down to his new body. 

"Can you move everything?" 

Each of Law's fingers, curled into his palm before spreading out again. His toes repeated the process before he walked around. "Everything is connected, Eustass-ya." 

Kid let out a sigh of relief. It was nerve wracking, but the next few tests were going to worry him. "Okay, now we just have to run some initial tests to make sure you're functioning correctly." 

"You've upgraded the frame of the body correct?" 

He nodded, pulling out a notepad. "Increased strength and water resistance. Your other functions have also improved such as your eyes for analyzing. The codes were updated to match the new functions." 

Law's pupils started to contract, narrowing in on Eustass. "Analyzed. Your hygiene level has gone down, but it appears your overall muscle mass has increase by .0038 in size. Overall health appears normal. You should consider taking a shower." 

Eustass eye twitched a bit. "I will after." He noted it down on the pad before holding out his arm. "What's the temperature?" 

The mechanical hand wrapped around the taller man's wrist. "Thirty-two point eight degrees Celsius. Average skin temperature." His hand retracted back as he watched Eustass. 

"Alright. Strength wise, we've calculated with this new body you should be able to hold at least four hundred pounds. So we don't have to worry about you losing limbs anymore. We can run tests on that at the shop." Kid spoke as he walked upstairs. "We need to test your water resistancy." 

The android followed after as the two ended up in the bathroom. Kid motioned him into the shower underneath the shower head. "If anything starts to malfunction, turn off the water, okay?" He spoke easily, yet he dreaded this test. 

Law had stared at the shower head before slowly turning on the cold water. A rain of droplets poured onto him. 

Eustass watched, mesmerized by the machine. The strands of hair that stuck to his forehead as the tussle of hair flatten once drench. Law stared at the water that ran from the shower head. Water cascaded down from his chest before returning into the drain. Much like the day it rained, he held his hand out against the water. Tiny waterfalls fell from between his fingers. As he turned his head towards Eustass, he smiled, the redhead's mouth went dry. 

"Everything is still functioning, Eustass-ya.." 

He faked a cough as his eyes went towards the notepad. "Good, turn off the water and we'll get you dried off." 

He hadn't notice Law's eyes analyzing him again while he written some notes down. A devious grin appeared as he adjusted the water. "How much can I lift again?" 

"Around four hundred pounds roughly." 

When he finally looked up, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Law snuck in front of him lifting the man up with ease. He dropped his pen and paper as he tried to get the android to release him. "Damn it Law! Let go!" He flailed. 

Law only smirked in amusement. "I will." He set the redhead into the tub. "Please take care of your shower now." 

He had set him underneath the faucet, the warm water quickly drenching him. His head was kept down as he let the water soak up his hair. Law watched him when he just stood there. "Eustass-ya?" 

The redhead slowly tilted his had up, frowning at the android. Law stepped back, his grin disappearing. Kid raised a browless brow, removing his headband to brush the hair from his face. "What?" 

"Your make-up is running." Law pointed out the dark streaks from the eyeliner had ran down his cheeks. "You look positively terrifying. But seeing as you're already there, I suggest showering as well." 

Kid cursed as he faced the water, washing it out. "Fine I'll take a shower. Leave." 

Law grinned happily as he left. 


	10. Date

Did Penguin bring you here?" 

"We passed by it, but didn't walk in it." 

The two decided to head out to the plaza together. With Law's new body, Kid hadn't need to worry about the rain any longer. He had ran a few more tests after for reassurance. Submerging the body into water was one of the more extreme tests. Another were the weights. Using one of the machines at the city gym, Law had successfully bench press four hundred pounds as Kid had predicted. He did notice around four hundred and fifty pounds, a loud creak was heard in one of Law's arm. It hadn't caused any damage, but Kid took note of the situation. 

"Was there something you needed to get?" 

Honestly, Kid had just wanted to spend time with the android. The last few days of testing and work had left them little time to spend together. Not that they really did much together now that he thought about it. He wanted to change that. With everything completed, he wanted to spend time with Law, even if it meant dealing with other people. 

"I thought I'd show you around since I had the day off. This is a popular location to visit in the South Blue." 

South Blue's Gol Plaza was a tourist location and often the safest place compared to the rest of the city. It was a long strip of cobblestones with stores that filled both sides. The street only allowed pedestrians with the occasional delivery truck allowing pedestrians to freely wander without worry. A variety of stores filled the plaza: restaurants, boutiques, hobby shops, anything anyone could think of, the plaza had it. The location itself did have many police patrols as the Chief of Police wanted to keep at least one place clean of criminals. It can be considered a nuisance, but much like everything else in South Blue, everyone got used to it. 

"Eustass-ya." 

The man looked down towards android, noticing he had stopped. Law's attention was captured by the street musicians located here and there. The sound of a deep baritone's vocals accompanied with the soft vibrations coming from the guitar. Down a few more yards, another man stood with an electronic keyboard, playing an entirely different genre. The beautiful sounds of music was mixed in with passing people's conversations, yet Law focused on the artist in front of him. 

"Do you like music?" 

"Not really, but the item he's holding is interesting." 

Kid noticed the look in the android's eyes narrowing in on the guitar. It was analyzing and breaking apart the item in his mind, piece by piece. As Law explained the item in great detailed, his eyes were entranced by the instrument. Kid knew better, but that didn't stop the slight tug at his lips as he frowned at the musician. Eustass placed his hand on Law's back, leading the man away. "Just don't stare too long, it could send the wrong signs." 

Law only nodded, but he did turn around once more to look at the instrument. 

"We do need to get you new clothes too. I don't have many things that would fit you." Changing the subject. 

Law hummed in response. The clothes that Kid had found for him were often ones that he had never gotten around to throwing out from high school. He liked the thought of Law wearing his clothes. And still do, but figured the android would want his own eventually. His clothes weren't in the _best_ conditions after all these years. 

He looked towards the android. His cool neutral expression as he looked at some of the stores. It looked like a slow morning, especially in the area they were at. Far off conversations could be heard mixed in with the music provided by the street musicians. The two had ended up walking in silence and it was starting to bug Kid. He would put out a topic, but Law either held no interest, or knew the entire history of it. As the redhead struggled to come up with a conversation, Law focused on his surroundings, most likely putting his eyes to use. 

The silence continued as they went into various clothing stores. Only speaking if either found something that Law could potentially wear. Not that Kid knew what to look for in the first place. The quietness was starting to become awkward to Kid as the mental strain kicked in. Clothes were starting to look as similar as the store before. Cheerful employees that didn't know how to take a hint that he was just browsing and didn't need help. If he had wanted it, he would've asked. 

Kid sat in one of the chairs waiting for Law to change. Law had found an outfit that he really liked and wanted to wear them. After the tags were removed, Law went to the changing room. They had decided this was the last of the clothing stores they were going to stop in for today. Kid was mentally exhausted. He hated shopping and dealing with people. But mostly, he hated all the questions people asked. Was there a reason for people to know his number and address just to purchase things? 

He was also sure that cashier from two stores before was attempting to flirt with Law. It did amuse him as the dark haired man hadn't picked it up and only answered accordingly. But at the same time, he had a sudden urge to punch them. 

Closing his eyes, he allowed them to rest as he waited. Only when he heard footsteps approaching that he opened them again. One of the employees had appeared before him, asking if he needed help with anything. Kid could feel a vein pop from his forehead. "No." He strained not to bark at her. "I'm. Fine." 

"Okay," with that polite smile. Kid closed his eyes thinking it was the end of the conversation. He wanted to rest. "Are you waiting for your girlfriend?" 

That did it. Before Kid could yell at them, Law walked out with his new attire. Jeans that accentuated his height with a black and yellow hoodie. The anger quickly dissipated as he stared at the android. His mouth going dry as he gave another look. Hell, he should've let him choose his own clothing sooner. Unlike the previous clothes that were baggy on the android, these suited and tailored to his height. They fit closely to his skin, but loose enough to prevent anything from getting caught. Sure the yellow was eye catching, but so was his own hair. He liked it. 

The employee gasped, attempting to apologize for their careless mistake, but Kid had chose to ignored them. He grabbed the remaining bags and Law's arm, leading him out. "You sure took your time." 

Law fixed his spotted hat before looking at the bags in Kid's hands. "Your shirt got caught in one of the joints and it ended up ripping when I kept pulling." 

"They were old anyways. I would've tossed them out afterwards." 

"Let me hold them." 

This stopped Kid in his tracks. "What?" 

"The bags. Let me hold them." Raising a non-existant brow, he looked at the android, holding his free hand out. "You didn't create me as a girl, I can hold my own bags. Besides I won't get tired from holding heavy things." 

"…are you calling me weak?" 

"No," a small smirk appearing. "Humans overtime will get tired from my understanding. You've been holding them for the past two hours. And from my analyzation, you appear more tired than before." 

Kid sighed giving him half of the bags. He didn't mind holding them, but he did notice the way the cashier whipped their head around when Law mentioned him creating Law as a girl. "Fine whatever, let's just go." Once out of the store, Kid released Law rubbing his temples when he noticed the lunchtime crowd that had formed. 

"Does it often get busy here?" Law commented as he focused on the sea of people ahead of them. 

"It does during lunchtime." 

"We could wait until it dies down?" Law suggested before his eyes narrowed in on something behind Kid. 

The man raised a browless brow before turning around. "What?" He looked at the alleyway. 

"…I thought I saw someone familiar." 

Kid chuckled. "You only know so many people. Killer's at the shop with Heat and Wire and Penguin's probably at the hospital, working." 

Law only nodded before looking at the stores' names. "How about the bookshop?" He pointed towards one of the stores that only held a handful of people in it. It sounded perfect to Kid, small amounts of people in a quiet store. The only problem was the mass of people they would have to cross to get to the other side. 

With a deep groan and a roll of his eyes, "fine. Come on." 

The two entered into the swarm of people, buzzing around from various fast food joints for food. Many of which were students from the nearby school and workers on break. Kid grumbled as he headed in a straight line not caring if he accidentally knocked anyone over with his large frame. _Fuck it, next time we're shopping online. Law would probably learn how to readjust his clothes anyways if he wanted to_. He thought as he got towards the entrance of the bookstore only to notice a missing someone by him. "Law?" 

He immediately panicked, turning around to see if he was on either side of him. When there wasn't a response he looked into the mob of people. _Maybe he was still behind him?_ He was hopeful, but knew that couldn't be the case. The android would've appeared by now. Cursing he entered the crowd again, once again knocking a few people over as he looked around for Law. 

Kid knew he didn't have anything to worry about, the android was built for durability. Law was also intelligent enough to get out of any situations that could arise. But there was something that kept nagging him. What if there was something that wasn't fully prep for? What if he made a mistake and Law had malfunctioned. The android didn't show any signs of it, but there were always that chance _something_ might have happened. 

Using his height towards his advantage, he looked over the heads of many people. Scanning around until he located the white spotted hat through the crowd. Kid beelined straight towards him. There was a sense of relief as he got closer. It wasn't until he reached out and pulled the android towards him that he finally was calm. He held him close, allowing his worries leave him. _He was safe. He wasn't broken._

Law's arms wrapped around the bigger man. "Eustass-ya?" He sounded unsure. 

He pulled back, keeping his hands on Law's shoulder's gripping them. "Oi, why weren't you following me?" He didn't look broken, but he noticed the dilation in his eyes. From the looks of it, the camera was out of focus as it continued to zoom in and out to regain it. "Hey, focus on me." His hands cupped his cheeks, forcing Law to look at him. 

Those foggy grey eyes started to readjust. The narrow pupil had widen once before returning back to it's normal size as it focus on Kid's red eyes. "Eustass-ya." 

"That's right, just keep look at me." When those grey eyes finally focused in, Kid grinned. Law seemed to stabilized when he focused on one thing. "What happened?" 

"My cameras went out for a few seconds. I think it overloaded when it tried to analyzed everything in front of me." 

"Is it on auto?" Law nodded. "Switch to manual, Law." He grabbed Law's cold hand holding it tightly. "Stay near me, okay? Just focus on me." 

Law smiled as he gripped onto Kid's hands. "Okay." 

Kid looked away, a bit flustered by the sudden smile. "Let's go." He muttered as he led the way towards the bookstore again. 

* * *

As they left the bookstore, Law held within the bag, a new medical book. And not just any medical book, it was one specifically on the human heart. He's become fascinated over the last couple of days since Penguin had given him more information on it. Not only on the medical aspects, but the hidden significance of it as well. 

A beating organ that provided life to the human body, yet it had so many other meanings beside that. Over the last few days that it took for Eustass and Killer to create his new body, Penguin and himself ended up binge watching on what the hatted man called 'chick flicks'. He found it oddly amusing on the various methods females would go about attempting to flirt with their love interests. 

He did find one movie interesting. It was often seen in movies, but never had he assumed he would see it outside of it. Towards the end of the movie, Law's ears picked up on sniffling and had noticed Penguin on the verge of tears. Law looked at the screen once again, attempting to find the reason for them. The movie was between these two main characters that couldn't be able to be together due to the male lead's relationship. At the ending scene, it had appeared that the two would most likely get together. Yet the female lead had passed away before he was able to tell her due to her illness. It didn't seem tragic, but Penguin sure felt it. Law attempted to comfort him handing him the tissue box near by. 

Using the various data he had collected while watching, there always seem to be a pattern to relationships. One or both characters liked the other. A series of events occurs between one another. Small gestures are usually used as well. Once everything was cleared, one of them would confirm their love for the other. And they would either agree or disagree on it. Seemed simple enough. 

Since the incident in the crowd, he's held onto Eustass' hand as they walked around. It had significantly lessen since the lunch rush has ended yet Eustass hasn't bothered letting go. If he were to, he'll grab it once again when they started walking. Law hadn't mind, though he did worry since his hands kept registering the redhead's temperature that was slowly increasing overtime. 

Eustass was telling him of a story about an incident he had when he was younger here. He told him to look out for this police officer named Smoker as he often ran into him. Law recorded the conversation, downloading the data into this memory files as Eustass spoke them. He's found that the conversation the two of them had were interesting to listen to when Eustass has fallen asleep for the day. It gave him a sense of peace when he couldn't find something he wanted to research on. 

As his eyes scanned the plaza, he noticed something familiar. Turning on his analyzer, Law's eyes narrowed into one of the shops. A _Pirate? It doesn't appear to be alive, the eyes are drawn on most likely with the skin created in a similar skin as mines._ His head turned, looked at the display case before stopping. Eustass took noticed when his arm was pulled. 

"What's up?" 

"Why would a store have a pirate mannequin." Law questioned. 

"It's a costume store, most likely costumes for Halloween. They open during October." 

Law hummed before he continued walking. "Eustass-ya, what would you do if you were a pirate?" 

Eustass grinned at the thought. "I'd do whatever I want." 

"Oh?" Law was amused, but wasn't shocked at the answer. He knew the redhead well enough that the man truly did exactly what he wanted. If given the motivation, he'd probably run rampage if he chose to. "Enlighten me on your crew then." 

"I'll have Killer as my first mate with Heat and Wire too. I'll have a large crew to command. You can join my crew too. You know medical stuff right? You can be the doctor." 

Law smirked. "But what if _I_ wanted to be captain?" 

"A doctor as a captain?" 

He grinned at the thought. "Why not?" Sure, if he were to become an actual pirate, he'll probably still have a fascination of the medical field. He couldn't see anything wrong with a doctor being captain. "But I think I'll be a surgeon instead. I'll carry a long sword to cut my enemies apart just like an operation room." He remembered that one week, the two had cleaned out Eustass' parents stuff and found a sword. And much like anything Law found interest in, he researched and understood the properties of it to the best of his abilities. 

The redhead let out a low whistle. "I'm not sure what goes in your mind in an operation room, but remind me not to be a patient of yours." 

"And what weapon would you use?" 

"If you're going to get a sword that can cut people up then I'd want a mechanical arm." 

Law raised a brow "Your arms will be mechanical?" He didn't find anything fascinating in having a mechanical arm. As he looked down at his own, he found problems with them for the first few months. They weren't durable enough and Eustass often pulled them off or destroyed them on accident. This had left Law helpless for a while until his creator built a new one or fixed the old one. 

"Sure, _why not?"_ He spoke in a mocking tone. "And what about your crew, Captain?" 

"I'll have Penguin and his friend Shachi on my crew." While the two had spent time together, Penguin often mentioned his best friend Shachi. The two were similar to Eustass and Killer having grown up together except in the North Blue. They attended different universities, Penguin going to the South Blue for schooling while Shachi stayed in the north. Yet somehow met up at the same hospital for their internship. The man sounded reliable. "Maybe a smaller crew than yours. Around twenty seems good. And an animal too. Like a polar bear that can fight." 

Eustass laughed at the thought. "Okay, then Heat will be able to breathe out fire out of his mouth." 

"It suits him. He likes using the torch often enough when I stopped by." 

"I just hope he doesn't burn the shop down one day…"Eustass muttered. "So how exactly will you handle your ship with a small crew of twenty? Wouldn't you need more than that to handle a ship? Especially if you're traveling a lot." 

"I think I'd rather have a submarine ship. It's easier to hide and much more sneakier around enemies." 

"Right, a large yellow submarine." 

Law laughed at the thought. For one, it was ridiculous to have a large yellow submarine, but he also found the idea appealing at the same time. "Sure, why not? As pirates, we would be able to do what we wanted." 

"Since we're both captains, then we'd have to fight if we meet." 

"You're not going to stand a chance, Eustass-ya." 

He scoffed. "With your small crew of twenty, you're not going to beat my crew." 

"Correct, because we're going to ambush you instead. And while your temper is going off, I'll sink your ship." 

"Dream on, Law." Eustass started before noticing a store. It held some of the most interesting machinery that Law looked at. He wondered what some of them did. "Law, you need to wait out here, okay? I've gotta go grab some materials before they close up. There's some strong EMPs in there that could short circuit you if they were on.." 

Law frowned a bit. Curiosity got the better of him and he wanted to look at the machinery in there. But he remembered looking into EMPs. It could leave some damage to his data if he wasn't careful. "You should've of made me out of something else." 

"Believe me, If I could make you out of flesh and bones I would." There was a hint of regret that Law picked up. Eustass slipped his hands out of Law's. " I'll be back, sit around in one of the benches 'til I return." 

With a nod, Kid disappeared into the store. As his temperature readings started to drop, he balled up his fists to retain it. He wasn't sure why, but it felt strange without Eustass by him. 

* * *

"Hey Penguin, isn't that Eustass?" 

The man turned towards where his friend had pointed and without a doubt, there was Eustass and Law walking side by side. Penguin smiled inwardly before grinning outwardly. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he wanted to know. "Shachi, come on, we're trailing them." 

"What?" 

Without waiting, Penguin grabbed his arm and ran towards the couple, stopping a few yards away, behind the side of a building. Shachi grunted when he was slammed against the wall, yet Penguin paid no mind as he peaked out. 

Shachi fixed up his crooked sunglasses and blue hat before poking his head out too. "Why are you so interested in Eustass' love life all of a sudden? Didn't you say you wanted a relaxing day on your day off?" 

"I do, but look at the guy he's with." 

Shachi raised a brow before looking at the other man. "I've never seen him around here." A devious grin appeared. "Oh? Is there something you need to tell me Penguin or should I say _someone_ other than Killer?" 

He caught wind of what Shachi had suggested and hit him over the head. No matter how interesting Law could be, he was happy with Killer. "That's Law, the guy I was telling you about." He hissed. Penguin had decided not to tell his best friend that Law wasn't human. No matter how much he trusted him, Shachi often did have a mouth for gossip. 

This caught Shachi's attention as he focused on the android. "I could've swore North Blue had a colder region, how did he get so tanned?" 

Penguin shrugged. _Of course Eustass had to pick the one region that both him and Shachi were originally from_. "The southern part of the region? I don't know maybe he travels a lot. We're losing them, let's go." Penguin followed slowly after the two, ducking into the side of a bush or building anytime one of them turned their heads. 

He had remembered telling Shachi about Law the day after they met. Originally, he had thought the android was interesting. Killer had other thoughts about the 'machine' as he often called him. So when Killer asked him to show Law around, he agreed to it. He was interested in this 'machine' that Eustass has given life to. What he hadn't expected was the draw towards the android. His thirst for knowledge. His ambition to know everything and anything that came to mind. And this wasn't like a child's curiosity. The android has proven that anything he wanted to know, he will learn and understand to the fullest. 

Besides his ambition, there was a pattern Penguin was starting to notice. He had discussed it with Killer who confirmed Eustass' side. There was without a doubt that Eustass has developed feelings for Law even if Killer didn't say it out right. And Penguin knew that Law felt something for Eustass. He couldn't tell if it was love, but all the symptoms sure seemed like it. The android was attached to none other than his creator and it appears the feeling was mutual. 

As time went on Shachi had joined in on the fun, becoming more enthusiastic in sneaking around. At one point he was acting as if they were on a mission, sometimes jumping and rolling into the next hiding spot. Penguin had shook his head at his silliness, but soon after joined him. The two hid behind various locations, using hand signals to each other when the coast was clear. 

The two had gotten so involved that there was a split moment where they were nearly caught by Law. Kid and Law had left one of the department stores. The two were admiring Law's new outfit. The baggy clothes before hand didn't help the android much on appearance. But this new style did. Penguin and Shachi grinned, bumping their fists. They had secretly went into the store and may have pushed some of the clothing to appear in Law's radar. They knew how badly Eustass had dressed sometimes. If anything, Kid looked as lost as Law had when they went into the first clothing store. 

The few seconds of gazing had almost cost them as Shachi pulled Penguin back. The two were nervous, hearts nearly in their throats as they listened closely for any approaching footsteps. Penguin was positive that he locked eyes with Law for a millisecond before Shachi pulled him away. Their ears trained onto the two before letting out a sigh of relief when neither mentioned anything about checking the source. 

The two continued following Eustass and Law as planned. It appeared their last stop was a hardware store. Penguin remembered Killer stopping by this location often too. Kid had mentioned something that prevent Law from entering. Annoyed, but the android was sitting by the bench attempting to read his new book as the sun was starting to descend into the horizon.. 

Penguin was leaning against the wall, looking down at his watch. It's been over twenty minutes. Sunset was only a half an hour away and he was sure the other two were probably going to leave after this. Once Kid comes out, he'll probably head back home before Killer gets back. 

After today's events, what he certain on was the two definitely had feelings for one another. From every which angle, they both looked happy, enjoying each other's company. He was worried at the beginning. Eustass' frustration was infamous. The man's temper was similar to how a volcano erupted. But something had happened between the two when they got lost in the crowd and now their hands have been interlocked since. 

It made Penguin smile, seeing his friend like that. He remembered listening to Law explain his thoughts. And somehow all of them, often revolved around Eustass. He wasn't surprised, after all Eustass had created him and for Law, Eustass was everything. 

"Agent Penguin, report in, have the targets left the building yet, over." 

"Agent Shachi, I'm right next to you… Over." His best friend peeked out towards the entrance once more before sighing. Even Penguin was starting to wonder what was keeping the mechanic. "Hey Shachi, we should-" 

"What are you boys up to today?" 

The voice shook the two as they jumped away in sync. They paled noticing the massive man in front of them, smoking two cigars. 

Penguin bit his lip. The Chief of Police. Usually he didn't show up for patrols, he's always chasing a notorious criminal down. So why would an important man like himself be here? "Chief Smoker…" 

He huffed out a puff of smoke. "I got a call about two guys who were acting suspicious at the plaza." 

Shachi scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "…It wasn't us?" Penguin face palmed himself before looking up to the Police Chief. The two of them knew him well from the frequent visits to the hospital when he was an officer. Due to the high crime rate in the South Blue, especially in the city, there were often police officers there to take statements from the victims. 

"Well, it doesn't look like you've caused any harm besides a small public disturbance." 

"Sorry Chief. We won't let it happen again. We were only looking out for our friend." Penguin spoke earnestly. Smoker hated vague answers. He often had his partner Tashigi with him, who balanced the two out. Without her, Penguin went straight to the truth. 

"Do it like normal people next time." He grunted as he heard his radio go off notifying him. A familiar female voice was heard on the other end as he responded back to her. "I'll head there now, Tashigi." He looked down on the two. "You two be careful, alright?" 

"Everything okay?" Penguin asked, curious. But he was sure he heard a familiar name on the radio. 

"Just spotted someone we're after. Send my regards to Kureha." He left in a sprint straight towards one of the other streets. 

The two looked at each other. They had walked out from hiding to see where the Chief had ran off to, but as it got later in the day, the plaza had gotten busy. A rush of people going home from work. Others were heading out to the stores and restaurants that the location had to offer. He looked towards Shachi, trying to confirm if he had heard the name too, but was interrupted, when someone called out to them. 

"Penguin, Shachi!" 

The two turned, once again towered over by Eustass. "Have you seen Law? He was supposed to wait outside of the store, but I can't find him." 

And his worried heighten. 

* * *

Twenty-two minutes and thirty-eight seconds had passed, Law calculated as his eyes traveled towards the store again. He closed his book as he noticed the rush of people that were starting to. The bench was situation towards the middle of the street. As he grabbed his bags, he headed towards the edge near one of the musicians instead. 

He was sure that his cameras wouldn't pick anything up, but just to make sure, he headed towards the side away from the crowd. His location wasn't far from the store and he could easily make it back if he needed to. The musician nearby was playing a jazz rendition of a current pop song Law has heard in few of the stores today. But similar to before, Law was more interested in the keyboard. 

His eyes focused in on the instrument, not noticing the approaching man behind. The musician's eyes widen as he stopped playing, frozen in fear. Law raised a brow before hearing a familiar voice. 

"Trafalgar Law. Aren't you a hard man to track down?" 

Law turned around, recognizing the man immediately. "Donquixote Doflamingo." The feather coat had been a dead give away. 

He chuckled. "So you remember me as well." The man towered over Law, looking down on the machine. His usual grin present along with those sunglasses. 

"Not many people walks around with a feather coat." Law mentioned. Not that he had seen anyone besides him wearing one. Doflamingo seemed highly amused at his answer. He looked pass the android to the musician. 

"I suggest you scram, brat. Can't you see I'm having a conversation?" And without a minute to spare, they ran away, leaving everything behind. 

Law watched, frowning a bit. His mind replayed back some of the conversations. What had the man meant by track down? "You were tracking me?" 

"Let's just say. I found… Interest in you." The man's eyes watched Law's every move. Law's internal being was starting to set off a warning signal. He needed to wrap up this conversation and get back to Eustass. 

He could hear Doflamingo snicker as Law's eyes wandered for a way to leave. "So, why would someone from the North Blue, a rather rich region be here in the dumps of the South Blue?" 

"Do you often track down strangers for this?" 

"Not unless they hold some type of interest. And you, Trafalgar Law, are that type of interest." 

_Interest?_ He wondered, but then again, he too had held interest in this man. As his eyes scanned him, he pulled up the data he's gathered attributed to him. The man in front of him was a wealthy businessman. And not just South Blue, he was one of the most wealthiest in the world. His headquarters was located in the capital in the Grand Line, but majority of the factories are located in the South Blue while an older part of the company resided in the North Blue, their research facility. He owned the Smile Corporation, what started off as toys for children has branched into areas of engineering such as animatronics for various uses. 

But Law wasn't ever satisfied with just that information. No, he was much more curious than that. He wondered why even Eustass would avoid him. He understood that Eustass didn't enjoy company especially with those who he didn't know. The only people he's actually seen with his creator was Killer and Penguin. Not even Heat and Wire ever showed up to his house and he had considered them friends. It was also clear that the redhead didn't care much about his clients, but they were paying customers. Yet this man, Eustass has warned him to avoid this man at all cost. 

And so he dug some more and discovered the man's underground connections of human trafficking and drugs. It took some hacking most of which was illegal, but Law did discover the information through various sources before confirming with the internal source. And much like what he learn from the movies, he made sure his location was hidden. From smaller information, gave him a lead to where he could find bigger data. It didn't take him long to connect the dots. The man in front of him was known as Joker, the ruler of the underground. The very man that held South Blue in the palm of his hands. 

Despite all of this, Doflamingo was still considered a 'free' man. As such, the police couldn't find a way to pin the business man to the underground. And so Doflamingo walks freely. 

"Am I now?" Trafalgar responded. Sure, he should find Eustass. But, he wanted to know. The man was dangerous, but what he wanted to know was the interest. Why would this powerful man try to track him down of all people. "And how do I hold interest?" He gave a lazed smirk. 

"Fufufu, you truly are interesting. Surely even you know what I'm talking about?" 

Law raised a brow. "You will have to clarify." 

Doflamingo's grin widen. "You're not human, are you?" 


	11. Time

"What did you say?" Eustass growled grabbing Penguin's collar, lifting him to eye level. Shachi had attempting to separate the two, but Kid's strength prevailed. 

"I said, I think Doflamingo is in the area." Penguin had also attempted to push Kid away, but kept his calm. His nimble fingers kept a grip on Kid's thick ones. "Chief Smoker was just by and I'm positive I heard Doflamingo's name in the transmitter." 

The redhead let him go before looking around. He needed to find Law quickly. Honestly, there shouldn't be a problem, Doflamingo only met Law one other time. Exchanged a few words before going on with their own lives. But the sound of those two together made him anxious. That gaze that followed the android gave him second thoughts. _Would Doflamingo find interest in him?_ "Did he say where?" 

"No. I doubt a police officer would." He straighten his shirt once he was released. 

Kid scoffed. "Stingy bastard." He remembered Chief Smoker when he was back in high school. Back then he was just a regular officer. During that time, he was positive that he was tapped, Officer Smoker always knew where he was. Killer begged to differ, but Kid was certain. Anytime he was dragged into a fight, the cops showed up. It wouldn't be that bad if he wasn't often provoked into it. 

Then again, the high school was always had a few officers lying around. South Blue High School didn't have the _greatest_ reputation. It was survival of the fittest with the lowest amount of students graduating compared to the other high schools in the surrounding regions. And during that time, it was Smoker's job to keep those high schoolers off the street and in school. 

But right now, Kid's mind was focused on one thing. Finding Law. His eyes pierced through the crowd ahead of him in attempts to find the spotted hat or a pink feather coat. Both were easily recognized and wasn't all too hard to find yet neither appeared. 

Doflamingo was infamous in the South Blue. He was the one that proposed to have the Smile factories built to create jobs for the area. And honestly, from the outside, it was beneficial to the region. Factory jobs were created and the unemployment rate had dropped. But those that lived in the region knew very well. As soon as Doflamingo had arrived, so had the increased in illegal activity. He had remembered some of his friends ended up becoming addicted to the drug. 

That symbol of the Smile Corporations icon with a cross through it was Joker's underground mark. People think it's the anti-Smile protestors. Those who hated the monopoly Doflamingo created, bankrupting older companies within a few years of start-up. The media helped create that illusion using what they saw without a need to research into it. Not that the media would ever bother to, they all saw South Blue citizens as a bunch of dumb fucks. But the citizens knew; Joker had appeared in South Blue the same time Doflamingo did. Everyone else was too stupid to realize it. 

Not that any outsider would know or cared, they only saw South Blue as a poor region that produces everything for other regions. They only saw Gol Plaza and the surrounding city area, a beautiful safe haven for tourist, not including the pick pocketing that often occurs. 

"Eustass," Penguin pulled him out of his thoughts. "I'm sure Law couldn't have gotten far. We just need to start looking, he's probably just around the corner." Penguin started. He looked towards Shachi. "Find Chief Smoker, just in case." 

With a nod, his friend ran towards the street where they last saw the chief of police. 

Penguin's attention returned towards Kid's who was scanning the crowd. "Just head up the street, I'll check the other half, alright?" 

Kid started running up the street mid-sentence. His head turning left and right for the android. He doubt that the android would go into the crowd again like before. But out of concern that the android had broken down again, he ran through the crowd. Ignoring any complaints as he pushed by people with his massive frame. 

He had almost wished he had found the android malfunctioning out in the crowd. It had meant that Law wouldn't run into Doflamingo. There wasn't a need for Law to get involved with him. But a few stores ahead, his suspicious reigned true. Just in front of the abandoned electric keyboard was his android and that bastard, Doflamingo. 

He sprinted towards them, grabbing Law's arm once he was closer, and pulling him behind him. Doflamingo laughed condescendingly. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Eustass Kid. I've been meaning to talk to you again, but my schedule has been booked." 

"Seems like you have enough free time if you're just walking around here leisurely." 

"Perhaps, but I had some business in the area to take care of and happen to run into your _friend_. We were getting to know each other better." 

His eyes narrowed, gripping onto Law tighter. Law glanced towards Kid before looking at the businessmen in front of them. "Eustass-ya." Gaining Kid's attention, his red eyes turning towards him. "He knows." 

"He what?" 

A low snicker could be heard from the flamboyant man. "I've gotta say, you've outdone yourself more than I've expected. Brats like you, are often the ones that have to be watched closely." 

Eustass frowned, unsure if he had been insulted or not. 

"You've always been an interesting case, Eustass Kid. The only brilliant student ever to get expelled from Mariejois University right before graduation for a simple fight. I was disappointed to hear you decided to become a simple mechanic afterwards." 

"What's it to you?" Kid snarled. It wasn't like many people would know now a days about what happened in Mariejois. Not that he talked to many others to begin with. It's been years since the incident. 

"I'm always on the look out for potential talent." 

"Not interested." 

"Oh come now, where are your manners? You haven't even heard the terms and conditions." 

"I said I'm not interested." But he sense that the conversation hasn't ended. Doflamingo stood before him, not making a notion to move. This entire charade has only fumed Kid. "Just get straight to the point, what do you want?" 

"Not a fan of games, Eustass- _ya_?" He mocked. "Fine then. How much do you want for your android friend? One, two million belis? Name your price." 

"He's not for sale." And the thought of it only enraged him. 

"Surely you could build another one if you really wanted to. With that money you can build yourself an even better robot." 

"Fuck off." As he turned his heel ready to leave with Law, he ran into another man. Tall, dark skinned with sunglasses despite the lack of sunlight. Contrasting his dark tone was his pure white suit. 

"Vergo, did you complete it?" Doflamingo asked. 

"Of course Doffy. I took care of it and took a picture of the scene with the camera you got me." 

"I didn't get you a camera, Vergo." 

"Right, you didn't get me a camera." His hand pulled out a piece of paper. "I've brought the receipt." His face remained neutral throughout the conversation. 

Kid raised a browless brow completely baffled by their exchange. _Just what the hell were they talking about?_ His senses were warning him to leave. There was something about this conversation that he felt like he shouldn't be listening to. 

Doflamingo laughed. "That's fine as long as the deal went through." 

The man looked down towards Kid. "And this is?" 

"Oh right, how rude. Eustass, this is Vergo, my bodyguard. Vergo, this is Eustass Kid. His creation behind him has gained my interest." 

"So we're taking it?" 

Eustass immediately kept Law close as Doflamingo cackled at the sudden reaction. Now, Kid wasn't one to run away. He'll fight tooth and nail before he backed down. That being said, he also knew when to retreat especially without anyone, but Law by him. 

Law had stayed silent throughout the conversation. His eyes wandering from person to person. Kid could only imagine what was going on through the android's mind. Sadly that would have to wait til they were back home. Law's safety was his first priority. 

"Not yet. He refused the offer, so I'll just have to offer a better price then." 

"Get your ears cleaned. I'm not inter-" 

"How would you like to work for me?" 

"-ested…" The sudden question had left him speechless. 

"Of course, it'll be in the robotics sector of my corporation." Kid didn't respond as Doflamingo expected, instead looking as if he's grown a second head. 

The thought sounded pleasant. He would be able to put his skills to use, but the problem is. He would be employed under the very man that had fucked up his home. "No." 

"Not exactly the response I was expecting. People would love to be in your position, you know? Besides, its not like you could put your experience from your nonexistent degree anywhere else. But I value those who can do rather than trust words on a piece of paper any day." Doflamingo started before looking past Eustass. "Looks like we've got an eavesdropper." 

Eustass had turned around to see Smoker. Behind him, he noticed Shachi and Penguin, both out of breathe and nearly kneeling over. 

"Donquixote Doflamingo." Chief Smoker spoke from behind Eustass before looking at the redhead. "And Eustass Kid. What are you two up to?" 

"I'm just having a pleasant stroll on Gol Plaza, am I not allowed in public?" 

He puffed out a stream of smoke. "I've my reasons to keep an eye on you, Doflamingo." 

Doflamingo laughed. "Smart man, but you may lose your nose, if you become too nosy." He reached into his pink feather coat, pulling out a business card. "We can discuss the terms and conditions at a later date, if you're interested, Eustass Kid. I believe we'll talk soon enough." Shoving the card into Kid's hand. He turned around to leave with Vergo following closely. 

Smoker frowned calling after the two to halt. Neither stopped as they blend into the crowd. Gritting his teeth against the cigars in annoyance, he looking towards the other two. "Are you two alright? Did anything happen?" 

Kid nodded absentmindedly before looking down at the business card. A wide smile icon for Smile Corporation with Doflamingo's contact information. He shove it into his pocket. "Yea. He was just offering me a job." 

Penguin and Shachi had ran over, fussing over the two. "Law, Eustass! Everything okay?" They yelled in unison. 

Kid only nodded before looking at Law. "You alright?" 

"I'm fine." 

* * *

Law looked towards Eustass as they were being driven home. His hand was firmly gripped in Kid's the moment they got in. Chief Smoker had offered them a ride home for safety reasons. Though Eustass had hesitated, preferring to walk home, Penguin and Shachi convinced him to go especially if Doflamingo decided to come back. 

The android could see the frustration on his creator's face. The drive was silent, but the chief seemed to know where to go. 

"You always seem to be causing trouble, wherever you go, Eustass." 

"Shut up. I didn't even do anything this time." 

"The same excuse as before." 

"It's not the same fucking excuse!" Kid slammed his fist into the side of the door. 

"It is if you get provoked into it. You're still apart of it regardless who started it." 

"If you're driving me just to lecture me, save it." He turned his head towards the window again ending the conversation. 

Smoker let out a sigh before looking at Law. The dark haired man had been analyzing the officer out of curiosity. He's also noticed the glances from him, not out of interest, but out of suspicion. 

"And you are?" 

"Trafalgar Law." 

"New here?" 

Eustass glared at Smoker through the rear mirror. "He's my friend, now fuck off with the interrogation." 

Smoker scoffed. "I see you haven't changed since school ended." 

"Neither have you." 

The police cruiser turned into the driveway, stopping right before the steps. Smoker turned around facing the two. "I don't know what you got yourselves into this time with Doflamingo, but stop before something happens." 

"I know that!" Eustass opened the door leaving before slamming the door. Law followed after Eustass. 

Eustass slammed the door open as Law closed it silently. As soon as the door shut, Eustass grabbed Law, checking him for any damages. "Did he do anything to you?" 

"No, we only talked." Law watched Kid's red eyes check every part of him before he was satisfied that nothing had happen. 

"What did you two talk about?" 

"Originally, we were talking about me. He said he had gained interest in me. Then we talked about you, we didn't say much before you showed up." 

"And you said he knows. He knows you're not human?" Law nodded in response. "How?" 

"When I asked, he said he's always watching those in interest." Though the thought of it had also shocked the android. Law hadn't expected anyone to find out without knowledge beforehand and he was sure Kid thought the same. 

"You sure, he said those exact words?" 

Law frowned. "Would you like me to replay the conversation?" He didn't appreciate the doubt from Eustass. 

"You recorded the entire thing?" 

"Audio and visual." 

He opened his mouth about to say something before stopping himself. He looked conflicted. Law could only consider what the man was about to say. "Later, we'll watch it later. But you're sure he didn't do anything to you?" 

"We talked Eustass-ya." Law's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the redhead in front of him. He looked a few shades paler than before and it was clear to see that he was highly stressed. "I've diagnosed that you should take a shower and sleep for tonight." 

He rubbed his temples. "Alright, we'll talk afterwards. I'll put your clothes in the closet." Grabbing the bags as he headed upstairs. 

Law watched before heading downstairs to the computer. Depending on how long Eustass would think while showering would determine how long he would be in the shower for according to Law's data. Signs of him rubbing his temples, cutting a conversation short, and overall spaciness and annoyance on the way home, he determined the man to take about fifteen minutes if he ended up spending half of the time thinking rather than showering. 

When the computer finally booted up, he looked up Mariejois University. The name had showed up a few times in the conversation. It had left him wondering what it was. What exactly transpire there that Eustass never mentioned about it. 

The android would like to say that he knew enough about the redhead. The man enjoyed his solitude after work and especially when he was in the middle of work. He generally hated people that asked too many insignificant questions. But the question he hated most was anything about his motives. 

For Eustass, he knew what he wanted and how to get it. He does easily get stump when his temper is present or obvious answers from overthinking. Law had noticed whenever he tagged along to Eustass' car shop. The tantrum tangent often resulted in tools flying and something getting broken. In which, Killer would often stop him before he broke something of the customer's. 

Law smiled a bit, musing over how Kid had gotten annoyed at a customer's last minute notice that they decided that they wanted to do their repairs elsewhere. Eustass had almost decided to dismantle the car and shipped it back to them. Especially after the hell the team had gone to track down that specific piece of equipment. Killer, Heat and Wire had stopped him before he could get his hands on the car. Law had watched from afar, thoroughly amused by his creator's antics. 

He set a reminder for himself to replay that piece of memory back later. For now, he had other matters to get to. His internal timer had gave him the half point warning for Eustass' shower. He pulled up a few articles on Mariejois' website. Most were statistical and basic information of their achievements. Their motto 'Those chosen will succeed' gives a condescending aura from the school. Yet, from what Law had saw, their statistics and hall of fame gave justice to the motto. Some of the most powerful people in the world had graduated from the university including those such as Boa Hancock, the fashion empress who's dominated the fashion scene since graduation, Issho Fujitora, the leading scientist in the physics field for the understanding of gravity, and then there's Donquixote Doflamingo, the CEO of Smile Corporation who has created a monopoly of children's toys and as of recent, became known as the leader in robotic technology. 

Nowhere on the website, did it mention the fact that there was a expulsion. Actually, there is not a mention of any bad ill article on the site. He supposed it made some sense, the university didn't want to point out any flaws on their official site. When he started searching around other sites, much like the official site, there was not an acknowledgement of anything that could tarnish the reputation of the university. 

His internal timer went off. Law closed out of the website and headed upstairs to check on Eustass. He'll have to dig out the information later. He's thought of a few keywords to search under. As he entered Eustass' bedroom, he noticed the man's big frame hunched over, towel over his head with the business card in front of him. 

Law silently approached him. He could tell the man was in deep thought. Those deep red eyes focused solely on the card. Law reached for the towel, rubbing it into his still drenched hair. His hands kneaded into Eustass' scalp as he dried the fiery red hair. 

"Law." 

The android looked down towards him. "Yes?" 

"Do you think I should consider what Doflamingo said?" 

"I wouldn't know." Law lied. He had thought of the possibility of Eustass working for the overly eccentric man. He knew of Eustass' skills, he was the man's creation after all. The man had an advanced knowledge in mechanical engineering, more than a normal mechanic for a car repair shop would need to know. He's also knew enough about programming to be able to program Law to fully function like a human. If what the website had said was true, than the Smile Corporation could easily take in Eustass for his knowledge and experience. But on the other hand, he could see the uneasiness Eustass had with Doflamingo. The man was unpredictable and dangerous, they both knew that. He trusted Kid's words. 

Eustass let out a sigh as he laid down. 

"Are you going to bed now, Eustass-ya?" 

"Maybe." 

Law nodded about to leave for the night when he heard Eustass call towards him. 

"Law." 

"Yes, Eustass-ya?" 

"Can you stay in the room for the night?" 

The android stared at the man before walking over placing a hand over his forehead. "Are you sick again?" 

He slapped the hand away. "I am not!" 

Letting out a light chuckle. "You often just command me to do something like this. I thought it was strange for you to ask." 

He grumbled turning on his side, facing away from the android. "Forget it, I'm going to bed." 

Law grinned at the man's annoyance. He wasn't sure why, but he enjoyed his responses when he chose to tease him. He reached for the light, turning it off. The room turned dark as his night vision activated. He headed towards the bookshelf, grabbing the heavy textbook he got today before sitting on the other side of the bed, turning on the lamp light. 

"I said, you don't have to." Eustass spoke as he looked up towards the android. 

"But I want to." When the man had asked, the thought of leaving hadn't crossed his mind. He just had to think of something to do while Eustass was sleeping as the android had no need for sleep. He started reading the textbook. He figured, he'll look into the information later. 

"I'm surprised you haven't asked, knowing your curiosity." 

"About what?" 

"What happened in Mariejois." 

"I didn't think you wanted to talk about it." 

"But you're curious aren't you?" 

Law tilted his head to look at the man before setting the book aside. "What happened in Mariejois then?" He was curious, but he also knew how angry the man got over whenever Doflamingo mentioned it. He figured, Eustass will talk about it whenever he wanted and until then, he'll find what he could on his own accord. 

"I got into a fight with the president's son of Mariejois University." 

"Is he important?" 

Eustass turned, laying on his back. "Something like that. There's some people in the school that shouldn't be messed with. He was at the top of the list." 

The android nodded in acknowledgement. He could see the tiredness in those crimson eyes. Rubbing his fingers over his eyelids before letting out a deep sigh. "Let me start from the beginning, it'll be easier." 

* * *

"How much do you know about Mariejois University?" 

"Everything that was on their website. It's the top university in the world." He started spewing out statistical data after data. 

Kid almost laughed at the answer. It was Law's typical answer. If he held some type of interest in the subject, he'd know everything there is to know about it. "Basically, if you're accepted and able to graduate from that school, you are almost guarantee a successful life. They create the leaders of the world." 

Law chuckled. "Sounds like an overstatement." 

"It would be, if it wasn't true. I would know, I was a student there at one point." He started to explain to Law. He still remember vividly of the process he went through to get into the school. He hadn't planned on applying for the school originally. He was going to go to one of the universities in the South Blue region or Grand Line University in the capital. It was often the school to go to for the surrounding regions. 

One of his favorite teachers had suggested he give Mariejois a try. He admired the teacher's work and often spent time talking to him, tossing ideas with the man. Killer had even suggested him to apply too. Kid had asked Killer to apply too, but his best friend had considered South Blue University, the region's state school. Unlike the high school's counterpart, the university did hold some credibility to it. It's also easier to get in for those that actually graduated from the high school. The World Government had made it so to tempt South Blue High students to graduate. 

After some thoughts, Kid had signed up to apply to Mariejois University. His counselor almost died from laughter when he told him. And after getting another demerit on his record for fighting, he applied. His records wasn't flawless, but his grades were. He was the unexpected top of the class. A few weeks later, Kid took the exam for the school. 

When he left after the exam, he was positive that it was probably easier to go into the national museum and steal the Ponegylphs than it was to pass the exam. Mariejois University's exam to enter the school was infamous for being completely bias and nearly impossible to pass. It was made that way to keep those who didn't belong out of the school. Namely those without a status. The more prestigious the name, the easier the test was made for them. Even if the student was as dumb as dirt, there was one thing the school board of Mariejois was certain of, that student would inherit the family business thus keeping the Mariejois motto true. 

Once the selection was made, everyone was on even ground. No matter what the background was. This was when the actual competition started. 

"A school system based on competition? How difficult was it?" Law inquired. 

"I'd be lying if I say it was simple." Kid started. "Each year the class size grows smaller. If you didn't make the marks, you were _kindly_ asked to leave. They'll treat you as if you never were in the school in the first place." 

"Only the best graduated, I presume?" 

Kid nodded. "They wanted people who would succeed and prosper. Those with that talent were kept. Others who couldn't handle the pressure were disposed of." 

"If that's the case, then why did Doflamingo make the situation seem bad?" 

"It wouldn't be, but I had gained a few awards from various competitions. And was considered a 'valued' student in the department," using his hands to air quote. "And I happened to punch the very person who's father controls the school. They weren't going to let me off the hook for that. So they expelled me and the media blew up." 

Law raised a brow at the statement. "The media?" 

"Well the school probably got rid of them and hid it, but-" He pushed himself off the bed, walking towards one of the closets, pulling out a manila folder, tossing it over to Law. "I had all of them collected before the school forced the media to take them off the shelves." 

Law caught the folder, examining the contents as Kid flopped back on the bed. Lifting his head with his arm, he observed the android as he thoroughly look at each article. The sheets of paper were turning slightly yellow of age, most had wrinkles from when he had crumbled them out of anger. There were even a few that Penguin had taped back together when he and Killer visited to check on him. 

He could feel the past anger approaching as each article was set down when Law had finished. The bullshit that the media spewed out and the anger he felt towards the university and especially Saint Charlos. He hadn't remembered what happened during his rampage. All he remembered was the anger. That hatred. Everything was colored in red and that was all he saw, yet his mind had shut down into the darkness and allowed him to be consumed. 

When he finally woken up, he had broken a few fingers and a throbbing headache. Killer had knocked him out while Penguin was tending to his fingers. He couldn't see their expression, but he could sense they were worried. 

When the final sheet was set down, the android looked at him. "Can you continue your side of the story?" He asked. The question was simple and held no sympathy, but Kid hadn't wanted any. Sympathy wouldn't bring back what he had lost. Sympathy. Charity. Pity. They were worthless in Kid's eyes. They were short lived, a relief for a minute. 

Yet. He felt conflicted. Somewhere deep inside, he had wanted Law's. Even if it was just for a single moment. He wanted that acknowledgement. He wanted comfort. But he supposed, the range of emotions can only go so much for an android. 

"Sure." 

He, along with two other students were lucky enough to make it through the selection. One from the North Blue and the other from the East Blue. Neither happened to be in his department unfortunately. He would've liked to at least meet them, but each department was located in a different section on the massive campus. 

He did, however, had the unfortunate meeting with the bastard that ruined his life on the first day. Saint Charlos. The man was so high on his high horse that he wondered how he hadn't hit his head on the ceiling yet. Right before he left South Blue, Killer had warned him to _play nice_. And he had planned on at least attempting. The opportunity to graduate from here would set him and he wasn't letting it slip through his fingers. 

Unfortunately, the school was filled with over privileged jackasses. Nothing was more revolting than those who believed they deserved better just because of the status they were born into. And Saint Charlos was the king of it all. The man was overly conceited, pompous, and wanted everyone to bow down before him because he happened to be the son of the school's president. Hell, some people honestly did, if they believed it would benefit them in a way. Kid avoided him like the plague. He hated it, but he knew his temper well enough that he would easily fuck up this opportunity. 

Classes were difficult and went by a ranking system. The ranking was posted twice a semester, once after mid-terms, the second after finals. Seemed basic enough. By the first ranking of the semester, he had placed tenth. Overall, he wasn't happy, but hell, he did enjoy the reactions from those rich bastards who couldn't believe he could score that highly. 

Saint Charlos couldn't accept that. His belief: The first half of the class should only be given to those who was in the same status as he was. Anyone else was considered lower than the ground they walked on. And he did what any other elite person would do. Called him out for cheating on the mid-term exam. Due to his prestige, and the rest of the assholes who fueled the fire blindly, he was forced to retake the test. And so he did, scoring a perfect hundred on it, just to rub it into him and ranking first. 

He hadn't allowed him to fall below that either. He kept his position, ranking first at each placement test. That had infuriated the man and left Kid giddy at his reaction. 

In his final year, he had been dubbed a genius by the media and was valued by the department. He could call his time at the university a success. He had planned on working with the famous Vegapunk afterwards. There was one last thing to determine his fate, the final thesis project. In his case, he needed something that showed his skills. After much debate, he had decided it to be a functional robot that could easily converse with others. The test would be for it to converse with the judges. 

The task ended up being much more difficult than he expected, but he was up for that challenge. He's gotten help from his professors and spent countless sleepless days working out the artificial intelligence. He wanted the machine to be able to answer anything that was asked to it. Similar to how a computer picks up a user's words based on past entries, Kid had done something similar to the robot. Once the programming was competed, the miniature robot was made within the week. It was about a foot tall and had the ability to walk and move it's arms. 

He smiled fondly thinking back at the robot. It wasn't the first thing he had ever built. But it had looked very similar to an old toy he had made when he was younger. He figured the childlike toy would surprise the judges when it started talking. 

He had felt Saint Charlos teeming with anger in the workshop every time the two happened to be in the same room. He hadn't bothered with whatever the bastard was doing for his project. But from what he's heard from others' gossips during break, it sounded similar to what he was doing; a robot with artificial intelligence. 

It was the night before the final. He was scheduled for an afternoon presentation, but students were encouraged to sit in other's presentations. There were a few project he had been interested in, when the list of projects were posted. At midnight, the workshops were closed and students were asked to rest for the night. Most didn't, choosing to work at their dorms instead. Kid had locked up his project in the workshop, but by now he was mostly nitpicking on it. Everything was perfect. 

Kid could feel his stomach churn as he recalled the day. Law had sat quietly, listening to him retell the story without a comment or a change in emotion. 

The following day had changed everything. Eustass, much like everyone else, showed up to watched the other's presentation. The previous one was currently being removed as Saint Charlos was up next. Kid could feel himself turning paler as the bastard stood before an exact replica of his project. Everything down to the layout to the pieces of his childhood robot. He could see the smug smile before Kid gotten up and ran towards the workshop. 

He opened up his locker and all that was left was an empty steel box. He went to his computer and looked for his files only to find they were missing as well. His stomach dropped. Not a single scrap of anything he had done for his thesis project was left. He logged out of the computer, unsure why he would bothered to. Nothing was left anyways, but it had calmed the fire that was starting in him. In a slow pace, he started walking back to the examination room. 

The manifestation of his hatred erupted the moment he saw Saint Charlos. The fucking bastard had the audacity to bow, letting out a disgusting laugh as the audience and judges were applauding and cheering. Without hesitation, he approached the man and smashed his fist into his five o'clock shadow. When he had fallen over, Kid continued his assault, landing blow after blow. By the time security had arrived, the man was bloodied and unconscious, yet Kid hadn't stopped. The anger that had been boiling over the years have finally been unleashed. He wanted him dead. 

As soon as security had dragged him out, he was officially expelled by the president. The earlier gossip of him just being a dumb, violent South Blue and had most likely cheated his way in rose. Any credible thing he had done during his time in university was revoked as if he had never set foot on the campus. The school didn't want to be associated with anything he had done. And honestly, after that humiliation, he didn't want anything from the school either. 

He was deemed as a problematic child from a dysfunctional family. He wasn't sure where the fuck the media dug that bullshit up from, but he wasn't after them. No, his anger, all of it, was going towards Saint Charlos and Mariejois University. He was going to make them regret their decision. But every place he had applied to for work, denied him. It was like he was on an unknown blacklist. His wrath only continued to grow after that. 

He could physically feel himself shake with anger. His reddish eyes darken and a deep need to punch something arise. He hadn't noticed Law had moved in front of him, until those cold hands had wrapped around him, pulling him close. Those mechanical fingers running through his hair, leading Kid's head to his chest. 

The sudden action surprised Kid instantly calming the man down. The previous neutral façade had been replaced with these sorrowful eyes. He wasn't sure glass grey eyes could look beautiful. But they had captivated him. 

"I'm sorry." 

He hadn't expected that. "You didn't do anything." 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that alone." Law clarified. 

For a momentary second, he wanted to believe that the android in front of him was human. That he was breathing, warm-blooded, living and not something he had programmed. And so he did. If it was something from the program, if all Law was based off of mimicking experiences that he had seen, repeating conversations of similar forms, then so be it. He wanted the comfort and he wanted him. 

Kid reached up, brushing his fingers against Law's cheeks. "But…" Kid started as he collected his thoughts. The past had made him realized one thing. If that past hadn't happen. If it had gone as planned. If he had graduated from Mariejois. Intern under the genius and made his way to the top. "If none of that had happened, I wouldn't have you now." 

And without a notice, Law had leaned towards Kid, capturing his lips with his own. 


	12. Restitution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to discussions with NaCl on AO3, this chapter was updated to fix some of the mistakes. Just a note for those who have already read it before. There are a few changes nothing major. And for that thank you NaCl for your reviews on this chapter! I apologize for the inconvience. I always take any criticism into consideration, so if there's anything any of you find, please do tell! Enjoy the chapter!

  


At the initial shock, he pulled away, staring at the android. Law blinked, looking at Kid just as shock as when Kid pulled away. His mind was trying to fight with the emotions that had fueled him. Want, need, both were blurring the clear distinction as his heart was reasoning with his brain. 

This is Trafalgar Law. He built and created him with his own two hands, yet Law has developed his own personality and peculiarity. The android has a smart mouth and enjoys teasing and annoying him out of pure amusement. He loves to read and observe and finds great interest in various areas especially the medical field. He's quick to point out anything and everything without a worry of consequence which could be problematic. Yet. He likes all the android's quirks. He enjoys being in Law's company. Hell, he could even say, he loves every moment spent with the man. 

He wasn't sure when his body decided to move on his own, but he allowed his instinct to take over. He conceded to the heart. To his emotions. His hand ran through Law's tussle of dark hair before pulling him forward, covering his lips over Law's thin ones. An immediate taste of steel hit him, but he hadn't minded. He worked with the material long enough to find comfort in it. His entire mind and body focused on Law. The hard latex skin that he gave him had felt smooth under his touch as his other hand traveled along Law's arm. 

Law's cold hands roamed his torso before clutching onto the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. He could sense a similar want from him. Kid pulled away, giving light kisses along the android's jawline. And as if Law could read his thoughts, he stretched out his neck allowing the redhead access. He trailed down that beautiful, tanned skin towards the base. 

Pulling away again, he locked lips with Law gently guiding him down onto the bed. But something felt off. He pulled away slowly, hovering above him. His brain always chose lousy times to start to reason with him. But the nagging was growing. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling his stomach drop when he looked into Law's eyes. Clear as day. There wasn't a sign of any type of attraction or lust from the other. If anything, the android just looked slightly confused. 

Then it clicked in his mind. _It's one-sided._ Immediately, he retreated only worsening Law's confused expression. 

"Eustass-ya?" 

Kid's mind jumbled as he thought up an excuse while his eyes looked for his phone. "I forgot I've gotta call Killer about something, go to sleep first." He jumped out of bed. 

"Eustass-ya, I don't sleep." Kid hadn't listened as he grabbed his phone and left the room in a hurry. 

He barreled down the stairs running into the living room. His mind was in disarray as his thumb dialed a very familiar number into his cell. Killer. It was almost second nature to call his best friend for anything that went wrong. He was the go-to man for any situation. As the other line rang, he paced back and forth. How he wished he could work on something right now to give him time to think. Killer was a good alternative. 

"Hey Eustass. Sorry, Killer's in the shower right now." Kid cursed when Penguin picked up. "Glad to talk to you too." He could hear the sarcasm dripping from each word. 

"Sorry, I just need to talk to Killer right now. Did he just get in?" That man had a habit of spending longer than needed because of his hair needs. 

"Yea, do you want me to leave a message?" 

He was tempted, but he then considered Penguin. He's only known the man for a few years. The man was deeply in love with Killer and vice versa. And though Eustass and Penguin had a rough beginning, he had considered Penguin as a good friend of his. Law seemed to like talking to him too. _Penguin hadn't cared much about the two of us. At least in the way Killer would._ If anything, Penguin seemed to support them. 

"Actually, maybe you can help me." Kid started. 

"Is it about Law?" 

Penguin was sharp. He had to give him that. "…Is it obvious?" 

Penguin chuckled. "Well I can't imagine you talking to me about your work and you don't sound in pain." 

"You're one sassy bastard you know that?" 

"I'm just glad to hear Doflamingo hasn't effect you. We were worried after you left with Chief Smoker." 

Kid scowled at the name. The whole event had felt so far away despite only being a few hours ago. He figured Penguin would tell Killer the moment he got home. Killer's going to have a field day tomorrow at work, hounding him down. "I'm fine." Well it wasn't completely true. It was more like _someone else_ was occupying his mind right now. "Killer's probably going to interrogate me tomorrow." 

"You know Killer. He's just worried about you. So what's up with Law? It must be terrible if you're asking me for advice." 

"He kissed me." There was silent on the other line. Kid stared at his phone to make sure it wasn't disconnected. "Penguin?" 

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard correctly. You're saying Law kissed you?" 

"Yea." 

There were a few more moments of silence and Kid could only imagine what was going on in the other's mind. "And that's… a bad thing?" 

"Yes! Wait… no! No, it's not a bad thing." Cause honestly Kid had wanted it as well. He wanted so much more with Law. He would've done the exact same thing if it had occurred again. But that feeling kept pestering him. "He's just mimicking what he already saw." It wasn't as much of a problem before. He had honestly encouraged the android to research and understood human activity to be able to fit in more. 

"Again, and that's a bad thing?" He could hear the exasperation in Penguin's voice. "I don't know about you, but if my crush were to kiss me, I'd probably be on cloud nine." 

"Yes it's a bad thing! The entire thing was one-sided!" He allowed his frustration to surface. "An android can't physically feel love, can they? I can't program that. I don't even know if that's even possible." And he was completely and utterly frustrated. That nagging reality that gnawed at him. As much as he would love to believe it. Law isn't human. The possibility of them being together could just end up being one-sided. 

And yet. Within those few minutes, he wanted to give Law everything. In that moment, the android in front of him was someone he love, human or not. In his mind, yes, he was obsessed as Killer had mentioned many times. No matter how much he denied it, even he knew of his obsession. But he had believed it was his workaholic tendencies of never leaving anything unfinished. And Law, really was his greatest creation. He wanted to make him as human as possible. He wanted Law to be his own entity. 

But even he knew Law's limits. A machine can only go so much before it hits it's limits. An android shouldn't be any different. But all those gestures and the time the two spent. He honestly forgotten at times that Law wasn't human. There were still some weird quirks, like Law analyzing anything within his sights and his unlimited wealth of knowledge that didn't appear all too human. He loved it all regardless of what he was. 

"You know Eustass." Penguin caught his attention. "You and Law may be the smartest people I've met, but you two are so slow on a simple, basic human thing." 

Kid glared through the phone. "What?" 

"We know you can't program love. Even humans can't force themselves to love someone they don't like. But Law can't feel it? I doubt that." 

"He's just mimicking what he saw and researched." 

"Kids do the exact same thing too. They observe things they like or are unsure of. They retain that knowledge, and they mimic until they can make it their own. Law's just mimicking something he wants to do. Maybe at that moment, he actually wanted to kiss you, ever thought of that?" 

And that made Kid stop. He felt a bit sheepish for not coming to that conclusion. If Law's mimicry was his way of expressing himself; was it actually possible for an android to love? Would something completely impossible become reality? The speculation was endless if that was the case. The proud achievement that he had created an android that was as close to a human as possible. But even more so. If that was the case, did that mean that Law loves him? 

Penguin sighed when he heard no response. "I know you love Law. Hell, I'm sure anyone who saw you two today holding hands, practically inseparable, probably thought that. And I can't say for Law himself, but I'm positive he feels the same way. Stop cutting him so short." 

Kid nodded slightly as his mind and heart felt lighter than a few minutes ago. Just one simple statement had cleared the heavy fog within his mind. With his mind clearer, there was still one thing he had to figure out. "Wait… How did you know we were holding hands?" 

There was silence before a the creaking of a door was heard. "Hey Killer, done with the shower?" 

He could hear Penguin conversing with Killer in the background, completely avoiding the question. "Oi! Penguin answer me, damn it!" 

Penguin had yelled 'goodbye' in the background before Killer's deep voice came to the phone. "Hey Kid, did you need something?" 

"I'm going to punch that boyfriend of yours." 

"I'm going to punch you first." Another voice appeared in the room. 

Kid turned around, seeing a rather pissed off Law stand at the door frame. Those arms folded, eyebrows furrowed. He found the expression cute on the man as the android rarely appeared mad. It was a nice change. The redhead said a quick goodbye to Killer before hanging up and approaching the android. 

Law frowned. "Eustass-ya. I don't require sleep. I am an android." 

"Right… I know. It slipped my mind." And it honestly did. No matter how much his mind can distort it, he still has to remember that Law was an android first with human instincts second. 

"Also because I am a machine. I learn by observation because _someone_ didn't implant me with knowledge beforehand. According to Penguin and the various movies we had watched. You kiss someone special after a heartfelt moment, right? I had thought it was a good time." Though his expression still looked perplex at the situation. 

Kid laughed a bit. _Of course he would learn that from a movie_. "Didn't I say that movies distort reality?" 

"I'll research it online." He retorted quickly. 

"Don't believe everything online either." 

Law rolled his eyes. "I'll get a book then." 

He gave another look towards the android. Well even if Law wasn't human. The android seemed to understand him and genuinely cared for him. The small, weird notions that Law made to take care of him had made him happy. Even if some were unconventional. And if what Penguin said was true. That was enough for him. He brushed his lips against Law's forehead. "Let's go to bed." 

"I don't sleep." 

"Then read by me while I sleep." 

* * *

His morning routine was similar like any other day. Saying goodbye to his half awaken boyfriend as he downed his cup of coffee. He gave a kiss to the man's cheek, wishing him luck at the hospital before grabbing the keys and heading towards the car shop. A simple morning like this kept the calm man content before he dealt with the troubles of his best friend. 

Donquixote Doflamingo. He had hoped to hear the last of him after his last visit. But the man was unpredictable. They all knew that much and he wasn't sure what the man's motive was this time. He wanted to get the entire story from Kid. Not that he didn't trust Penguin's words, but he needed to know what Kid knew. And if there were any potential danger that could occur, how he would help get Kid out of the mess. 

Since they were young, the two had always been together, having met randomly at a playground one day. The small redhead had gotten into a fight with someone over the sandbox. Killer had watched from the swings like he had any other day. At the end of the long row of swings, he'd sit; watching over Kid drawing in the sand of a robot every day. The man had shown interest in robotics from an early age. As a kid, Killer had figured it was just a design of a robot from a show. A simple drawing of his favorite robot. It clearly wasn't the case when he thought about it now. 

_Kid was the new kid from the suburbs outside of the city and Killer was the outcast with a murderer as a father. The two acknowledge each other when Kid would walk by nodding at him before sitting in the sandbox to draw with his fingers. Killer figured he didn't know any better and nodded back. This went on for the first few months since Kid arrived. The two never bothered to talk to one another, not that Killer had much to say. He'd learn to keep his comments to himself. Besides, Kid looked like he had wanted to focus on his drawing and he would for an hour or so before what looked like his mother would pick him up._

_It was a normal day, Killer was sitting on the swings, observing his surroundings. Kid had entered the playground giving him his usual nod before plopping down in the sand and started to draw. The silence stayed between the two as any other day. Until three kids a few grades above them walked in. Killer recognized them quickly by the way they yelled and laughed. They were loud, obnoxious and were considered the 'bad boys' in school. Killer rolled his eyes at that statement. If anything, the title only gave them more reason just to cause trouble for the sake of it._

_He kept his eyes on them behind his bangs, but continued on with what he was doing. Swinging. Observing. One of the boys, snickered as he pointed towards the sandbox and the next minute, they were by it, kicking sand over Kid's drawing. Even when he was young, his temper were still present. He stood up quickly, glaring at them._

" _Hey! What are you doing?"_

" _Nothing." One of them sneered. "What? We can't stand here? You don't own this spot. This is a public area."_

" _You kicked sand on my schematics."_

" _No I didn't. It's not my problem the sand decided to fall there." He kicked the sand again to prove his point. "See? It's called gravity, stupid. It's common knowledge."_

_Kid growled. "I'll show you gravity." He tackled the guy to the ground and within seconds, it turned into an unfair fight of three against one._

_Killer wasn't one to bother with things like this. Getting into a stupid fights wasn't something he preferred to do. It was tedious and he could do something better with that time. That being said, he also wasn't one to approve of unfair play. He got off the swing and walked towards the fight._

_One of the boys immediately saw him and backed off. "Oi, Killer's here." The other two boys stopped their assault to look at the blond._

_It wasn't surprising to him; their reaction that is. He was like the black plague. Everyone just wanted him to disappear, but were too afraid that he would do something at the same time. So everyone just called him 'Killer' from a distance and avoided him. He was used to it by now. Truthfully, he was just relieved that the violence towards him had ceased. Most of the fights were pointless and meaningless. Did they honestly think he wouldn't fight back if he was left with no other choice? Of course, the fighting didn't help his reputation either. That only solidified his nickname._

_He had suspected that he would end up in juvenile detention with the amount of fighting he had ended up in. None of which he caused. The adults seemed ready to toss him under the bus for their own kids 'safety'. But the young Officer Smoker at the time had said that from his perspective it was a case of self-defense._

_The leader of the group frowned, kicking Kid one last time. "You got lucky this time." He spatted as they ran, commenting on how Killer was probably going to kill the redhead._

_Killer only sighed at their accusation. He looked down at Kid. The child was curled up in a ball to lessen the impacts when one of them had pushed him down. There was a scowl on his face as he turned towards the three bullies, flipping them off angrily. Killer reached forward, helping him back on his feet. The redhead looked fine besides a few scraps here and there. It didn't seem like he was hurt badly so Killer returned back to siting on his swing._

_Kid had stood there brushing the dirt off his shirt and shorts before staring at him. "Hey, thanks."_

_Killer only responded in a nod before looking forward again, moving his legs to create momentum for the swing to lightly move._

_Kid gave another glance at his drawing before erasing the rest of it away. He stood in front of him watching with those red eyes of his. Killer return the stare. "What?"_

" _So why do they call you Killer?" It was an innocent question, but Killer kept his silence. Kid only shrugged at the lack of response. "I think the nickname's cool. Everyone would think you're probably the one to watch out and all. You know? Like a silent, yet deadly character."_

_He raised a brow at the child's comparison. He was about to open his mouth to correct him when a women's shriek stopped him. It's been a while since he heard that._

_Eustass' mother showed up, pulling Kid towards her. Shielding him with her body. She had fussed over his scraps, but Killer could sense the dirty look that was sent his way. So he kept his mouth shut and watched._

_The mother pulled him away, telling Kid to stay away from him. "He's a murderer."_

But I wasn't. 

_The blonde had understood that being a constant broken record was useless to people who has already set their opinions of who he was. He figured, it was probably going to be the last time he'll see the redhead. The mother will tell him the story the community had conjured up and he, like everyone else, will stay as far away as they could._ It was nice while it lasted. 

_What he hadn't expected was Kid showing up the following day, sitting in the swing next to him._

" _So Mom told me that I had to stay away from you." Kid started._

" _So why don't you?"_

" _Cause you didn't do anything to me and you helped me out the other day. Plus wasn't it like your dad's fault anyways? It's not your fault if your dad decided to be the bad guy." Kid said. "Besides, I still think Killer's a cool nickname. It's at least better than my name. Like who names someone Kid?"_

_Killer chuckled a little at the comment. When Kid had first arrived in his elementary school. He had heard gossips of a transfer student with the name 'Kid'. Killer hadn't actually thought it was real til he saw Kid fight someone for mocking his name._

" _Besides, the word killer can also mean something different too. It's not always someone who kills. Used informally, it can mean a formidable or excellent person or thing."_

_Killer stared at him. The sudden usage of long words wasn't what he had expected from someone his age. "…what?"_

_Kid rolled his eyes. "Killer can be used as a good thing too. Like a killer robot."_

_Killer scoffed. "I'm just the villain to everyone. There's nothing good about being a killer."_

" _Whoever said the villain had to be bad?" He grinned. "Maybe they're just misunderstood."_

Since then, Kid actively searched him down in school and outside of school. Killer was worried that Kid would get the exact same treatment as he would. But he soon realized, the child then was similar to the man now. He didn't care what others thought about him. He did as he pleases and gave zero fucks about anyone else. Even now, Killer's still grateful for Kid's stubbornness. The two became close like brothers. And since then, Killer had kept the nickname. It almost felt weird not to use the nickname now for the significance it held. 

He unlocked the front of the shop, the smell of iron and car fumes still linger in the air when he walked in. He wasn't sure why Kid wanted to start up a car repair shop. It wasn't something Killer had expected Kid to suggest out of the blue especially after the hell he went through with Mariejois. But he wanted to move on with his life and thought this was the best path. 

Cars weren't common in the South Blue especially outside of the city. They were too much of an expense for most citizens to have one. And the cost to fix one wasn't even worth the price with the known violence and vandalism around the region. But he believed in the man, Kid knew how to make things work even when the world was against him. With the help of Wire and Heat, friends they knew from school, because Kid refused to hire anyone that he didn't know. Kid taught them how to fix cars and the business started up in the city. And something Killer thought would fail, ended up succeeding. Despite the successful business, even he knew Kid was still missing something. The man worked diligently, but not with the same vigor and excitement he's seen before. Until he started creating Trafalgar. 

Trafalgar Law. To be quite honest, Killer was extremely amazed by the fact, that the machine was practically human. From the outside, no one could tell the man was an android. It was an amazing feat. And Trafalgar has kept Kid happy and smiling albeit from the times he would annoy him. Everything would be fine and Killer would be thrilled to see his friend passionate about something again. The problem was everyone was sucked into that illusion of him being a human. But he never forgot. A machine was unable to provide everything that a human could. Even if Kid was able to programmed Trafalgar as close as human as he could. He would never be 100% human. 

Emotionally, Law had checked off many things. He had the basic ability to emote as he see fit. The programming had allowed that. He remembered seeing the algorithm for it. He had followed and understood most of it, but even he knew how advanced the coding had gotten. Having a genius and an artificial genius work on the project had elevated and developed Trafalgar quicker than he had expected. But as advanced as it was. Everything down to the words, were artificial. A machine would not be able to return Kid's feeling to the fullest. And Law, at the end of the day, was nothing more than a machine. 

The day began like any other day, Killer was the first to arrive and proceeded to get the shop ready for today's work. Heat and Wire were the next to arrive, Wire usually having that tired stare early in the morning. Then there was Heat who often made sure he stayed awake until later in the afternoon when the roles reversed. He found it more of a problem during the late afternoon as Heat liked to use the torch as often as possible. That lack of judgement had almost set a car on fire once. Wire kept a closer eye on him since then. 

By the time Kid arrived, Heat and Wire were working on an oil leak while he was filing some paperwork. Kid, who decided to live the farthest from the shop usually showed up last. Not that anyone minded. 

His best friend walked into the office almost exuding out his excitement. That had baffled Killer. He knew Kid was acting weirdly last night, but Penguin refused to say anything, only beaming at whatever the two had conversed about. 

"Hey Killer. What's the damage today?" 

Killer had stared at him for a few seconds before grabbing the clipboard. "Heat and Wire are taking care of the car that came in before closing yesterday. The engine came in today, so we're replacing that before the nine to eleven appointments. Lunch break then more appointments after two." 

Kid grinned switching into a white t-shirt that had grease stains all over. "Sounds good. Let's go." Killer nodded tying back his long blonde hair. 

The two worked well together like a well oiled machine. They have been together all of their lives after all. Through good times and bad, they stuck together. As Killer watched Kid tighten the last bolt, something inside of him kept saying this wasn't right. This feeling has always bothered him when the two worked. 

Kid didn't belong here. He couldn't see his best friend being a mechanic for the rest of his life. He's always believed since he was young, that Kid's ambition would lead him somewhere great. It was just a question of where. He still wanted to discuss with Kid about the run in with Doflamingo. 

"Alright, let's turn this sucker on and check if it's working." Kid said as he shut the lid. 

Killer nodded as he ignited the engine and the car roared beautifully. "Looks good to me." He turned it off again. He figured he should ask. "Kid." 

"What was next on the list?" Kid questioned. 

"The nine o'clock appointment. We still have a while before that. I need to talk to you about Doflamingo." 

He could see the energy Kid had held deflate out of him as he gave him a weak smile. "Penguin told you?" 

"He came back freaking out about Doflamingo showing up at Gol Plaza. Of course I would ask. Just be glad I waited until today. You said he offered you a job?" 

The redhead scratched behind his head. "Let's talk in the office then." He waved to Wire and Heat to keep an eye out for the customers while the two head into the office. 

Kid sat down in the desk that he rarely used. The man never cared much for paperwork. He has always preferred using his hands which left Killer using the desk more often. "I figured you were going to interrogate me eventually." 

Killer folded his arms as he stood in front of the desk. "What happened yesterday?" 

Kid explained from the moment he left the shop to when Chief Smoker brought him home. He watched Kid's expression through his thick bangs. His face harden as he talked about Doflamingo offering him to buy Trafalgar. His fists clenching together. Somehow, Killer wasn't surprised. With that type of technology, he could only imagine what Doflamingo could do. The question now is, what exactly would he do with a humanlike android? 

"I shot him down. I wouldn't sell Law for that. So he came up with the next best thing and decided to offer me a job." 

This made Killer's green eyes widen. "What?" Hearing the news a second time, had still shocked him. He had always imagine Kid eventually returning back to the field that he worked so hard for. The idea that Kid would end up working for Doflamingo wasn't a pleasant thought. It made his blood boil. 

"I don't know if I should consider it or not." Kid leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "He said it'll be in the robotics sector so at least it isn't anything bad. Yet…" 

Killer wanted to tell him to forget about the offer. Forget the entire charade and just continue on with his life. But he held his tongue. The damage Doflamingo has left in South Blue has left a bitter taste in the citizens. This didn't past over them as they lost some of their friends from school because of his illegal activities. 

The Smile Corporation was highly regarded for it's quality work. Even if it was just for a few years, Kid could use this just to get his foot back into the business. There was still the huge conflict that he knew Kid was feeling. This opportunity was a once in a lifetime way to get back to what he always wanted to do. He would finally be able to show the world his talents. But would he be willing to work under the man that ruined South Blue? No matter how badly South Blue's reputation, both of them still held much pride for their region. Would he suck up his pride and take the offer? Or continue living as a mechanic. Sure there could be another offer later on, but it wasn't definite. Killer rubbed the brink of his nose. 

"Kid." 

His best friend had stared at the desk. His hands had balled up into fists. Those red eyes looked up towards him. In that instant, Kid had fully understood what Killer wanted to say next. "…I know." He sunk his head into his arms, allowing both hands to grip at those red strands. "I'd be stupid to pass it up." 

"Be careful. I don't think I can help you out of this mess if something goes wrong." 

* * *

The business card laid on the desk with the Smile Corporation icon staring at him. Kid thought back on everyone's input. Both Killer and Law had essentially told him to go for the opportunity. They both knew enough about Doflamingo's background. They knew the dangers but they also the opportunity. 

He knew what Doflamingo had done to South Blue. But he also knows that the kingdom that the man has created isn't something to look over either. Doflamingo's monopoly had made a statement and set a standard no other company had done. He successfully wiped out any competition within a few years and reigned as king in the toy and robotic industry. He hasn't seen much of his legal handiwork in South Blue, many of the toys kids played with were often hand made or older toys that was before the Donquixote take over. Every so often, someone would have a Smile toy. And even Kid found them fascinated. 

Kid had gone to the capital once for a school trip. Grand Line City, a highly technologically advanced place. The Smile Corporation's icon was pasted on every screen and wall. Kid admits, Doflamingo was a highly skilled businessman. He understood the situation and conquered. The people demanded quality and so he gave it to them. If a trend started, he'd be on it quicker than anyone else. 

Then his real masterpiece came in when he started his robotics branch. It had revolutionized the world. Toys for the first time moved. They spoke a set of sentences on repeat and kids loved them. Doflamingo took it further and created highly advanced animatronics used in movies and stores. Anything and everything the man sent out was gold with high quality. He set the high standard for himself and maintained it. Everyone in the Capital and beyond loved him for it. 

Except for South Blue. Behind the man's industry was the underground of it all. It wasn't hard to connect the dots, the man was wealthy. Within a year of the start up of the factories, he had tripled in wealth placing him in the top ten wealthiest in the world. A fraction of his wealth was all drug trades. Though there was no proof, Kid was positive on that. But what he never understood was, what was the point? He had his power, why continue the illegal activities? 

Kid didn't bother thinking any longer. By calling this number, the man he was thinking so ill about may potentially become his new employer. And he doubt the man preferred treason within his own company. 

He called before he could have second thoughts. The phone ranged before it was picked up by a female voice who redirected him to Doflamingo himself. 

"I've been expecting you, Eustass Kid. Have you reconsidered then?" 

Kid could feel a vein pop at the sound of the man's voice. "I have… I want to hear the terms and conditions." 

"Smart man." He could feel the smirk from the other side. "I don't care so much for your resume, your android himself is proof enough that you're highly skilled. We know you're efficient with your hands. So I'm assuming you're taking the offer?" 

"Yea…" He spoke through his gritted teeth. 

"I'm glad to hear. Let's talk business then." 

* * *

Doflamingo felt almost giddy after hanging up the phone. He allowed himself to swirl in his chair once grinning from ear to ear. His bodyguard, Vergo, walked up to him. 

"I suppose everything has gone according to plan, Doffy?" 

"Of course Vergo." He couldn't stop his ever widening smirk. "To think that some punk brat that decided to vandalize one of my locations happened to own the very one car shop that I had been interested in." He stood up, ironically towering over his own bodyguard. "And that owner happen to be the very Eustass Kid that I have heard so much of. What are the odds?" 

Vergo stood by him, handing him a manila folder labeled Eustass Kid. "You must be ecstatic." He spoke in his neutral tone. 

"Well the first one was such a disappointment. I thought something was off when I hired him. But he didn't hold anything to the standard of the robot _he_ supposedly built." Doflamingo grinned pulling out a sheet with the man's university information. "But now, I can have the real deal." 

He always knew about Eustass Kid. He even kept his eyes on the little brat while he was in Mariejois University. The media proclaimed genius that came from the less fortunate region of South Blue. It was a literal fairytale of rags to riches. The media ate those types of stories right up. Of course, this was no fairytale. Life was the cruel reality of a fairytale. And when Eustass Kid went down the drains along with the rest of his future career for something as idiotic as a fight, Doflamingo knew the man's fairytale life has ended and the cruel reality of life has started. 

He chuckled deeply at the thought. At that time, he should've swooped in to snatch Eustass if he had known any better. But he, like many other big named companies were after Saint Charlos. The man with the amazing robot display. He had remember sitting in the audience for that presentation. He, along with the other company representatives were already told ahead of time what each student would present. Doflamingo only found two that he was interested in. Saint Charlos and Eustass Kid, both had projects on robotics. Rumor has it, Eustass Kid was going to take up the offer to intern under Vegapunk, the renowned scientist for the World Government. Doflamingo figured, if he couldn't have both, he'll at least snatch one of them. 

Then the fight broke out between the two, and media went wild. Eustass was everywhere and nowhere within forty-eight hours. Doflamingo had to give the university credit. They knew how to keep their reputation intact. After all, most of the media's CEOs are Mariejois alumnus. A few phone calls later, the entire story was buried and Eustass Kid became a nobody. _Oh, how corrupt the world loves to be._ A simple fight shouldn't be punishable to the amount of knowledge Eustass had, but Mariejois made sure it did. 

Doflamingo could still feel a slight anger for the time he wasted on Saint Charlos. But he figured that the time Eustass had disappeared off the face of the world. The redhead had learned and figured out how to create an android. _Oh well, that brat knew how to use his time wisely_. And now a man with that knowledge was just within his grasp. 

"We need to celebrate Vergo." Doflamingo proclaimed. 

"You have a meeting in fifteen minutes." Vergo cut in. The blond frowned at the thought of meeting. Folding his arms. Vergo sighed a bit as he pulled out a party blower placing it between his lips and then pulled out a confetti popper. He blew on the blower while pulling the string to the popper letting out a small flow of confetti. 

Doflamingo laughed highly amused by Vergo. The man knew him so well. "Excellent. Let's go. We have a lot to discuss about with the team." 


	13. Anew

Its been over a week since the call with Doflamingo. They talked over the employment contract, the terms and conditions. All of which, he also went over with his friends. Killer re-read the fine print and Law analyzed each word. He wanted to be careful in this agreement, last thing he needed was him to get scammed. Doflamingo only found the situation amusing whenever Kid came back with another issue with the contract. And with the week finally ending and the signing of employment, Eustass Kid was officially an employee of Smile Corporation. 

It wasn't something he was proud of. Kid still felt on edge that he'll be working for Doflamingo of all people. Yet there was this slight excitement he hadn't felt in a long while. Being able to work with machinery and robotics _and_ get paid for it. What more could he ask for? 

_Maybe better friends?_

Law, Killer and Penguin stood before him, eyeing him as if he was a stranger. He could see Law's eyes narrowing in as he analyzing him again. Penguin's mouth was slightly ajar and Killer probably had his brow raised beneath those long bangs. 

"What?" Kid spoke through gritted teeth. 

Penguin put his finger to his chin before tilting his head. "You know… You look like a friend of mines. He's about your height, your built, and with over exaggerated red hair. He's got a foul mouth and tends to get angry very easily. Oh, and he wears make-up and has his nails done, it's very hard to miss, have you seen him?" 

Killer placed a hand on Penguin's shoulder. "Penguin, Kid doesn't get lost, maybe he's still changing." 

"Oh you're right, silly me." 

Kid glared. "This is not the fucking store!" 

Law tilted his head, it appears he's finished analyzing. "Is it not? There are many article of clothing in there with tags." 

"Don't join in Law!" He rubbed his hand down his face, exasperated. The three of them have been making sure he _looked_ the part of being in the business world. But the clothes were restricting as he tugged at the collar once more. which Law would end up fixing it on the point of almost choking him. 

Law frowned a bit walking over to fix his tie, tightening it to the point of choking him. "Eustass-ya, you're going to ruin your tie again." 

"Damn it Law! Stop trying to kill me!" Kid pulled away before the android succeeded in choking him, tugging a bit at the tie to loosen it slightly. 

"If you keep touching that tie, you'll be dead before you leave the house." 

Kid huffed before turning towards the mirror. _Fucking hell, even I don't recognize myself._ His usual make-up was removed along with the nail polish on his nails. Unlike his usual attire, he wore a full black suit and jacket along with a red tie. Even his goggles that he always wore was replaced with a simple headband. The only thing he had kept was the golden bangles that Law had given him. He wasn't going to take those off, they were currently hidden underneath his suit. His three supposed friends continued on staring. "Just take a damn picture already!" 

"I've already have Eustass-ya. But the analyzation program keeps giving me errors on who you are." Law explained. "Even when I put it side by side. It doesn't recognized you." 

"If it helps, at least his hair color and style is still the same." Penguin added. 

"His anger is a bit tamed now, but it's still present as well." 

"I'm going to murder all three of you. Some friends you are!" Kid snarled before pointing towards Killer and Penguin. "And what are you two even doing here?" 

Penguin folded his arms. "We were being supportive parents and taking you to the train station to make sure you didn't get lost. Besides, it's someone's big day today." 

Kid could see Penguin smirking, he rolled his eyes. He missed when the man used to be scared of him. "Right and who's the mother in this relationship?" 

"I think we determined it was Killer." 

Killer sighed, but didn't object to the statement. "Try to play nice, Kid." 

* * *

The four of them headed out into the city before waiting at the platform with Kid. Killer eventually took his leave first to open up the shop. Penguin, on the other hand, was going to bring Law to the hospital so he could meet up with his mentor, Dr. Kureha. Kid was initially concerned about having Law near people outside of their bubble. Mostly due to the fact that Law wasn't human. Penguin promised to keep an eye on the android and away from troubling situations. He wasn't sure how much he should trust him as him along with his best friend often gotten into trouble on more than one occasion. 

Law's ever growing curiosity in the medical field wasn't stopping at any point. As much as Eustass would like to help him, he wasn't exactly the best person to come to for medical advice as he would tell them to wash it off, bandage it and deal with the pain. Apparently, it was worrisome to Law and Penguin whenever he did that. 

Penguin had asked his mentor to talk to a friend who was interested in the medical field. Eustass had met her once and that was enough for him. He would never assume he would get violently threaten for not accepting a check up by a doctor no less. He had to at least appreciate the method since he often used the same one when dealing with his own clients. Killer, as always, didn't approve. 

As the train arrived into the station, Eustass looked back at Law. The android had immediately locked onto the train, most likely breaking each part of the train within his mind. The Puffing Franky. One of four in the Puffing style trains that went to the four main regions outside of Grand Line City. Kid had remembered learning about the engineering behind it back in Mariejois. Including the Oro Jackson, the last train the late Tom made. He's only rode it twice, once going to Mariejois and once leaving it. He remembered how smooth the train ran like it was running on air. It was currently the only train that reached the New World continent connecting them to Grand Line City. 

Kid doesn't question how interested Law would be in that technology, but he at least wanted to say goodbye to him beforehand. "Hey, Law." Eustass started. Law only hummed back as he continued to analyze the train. The android looked focused and Eustass knew how much he hated to be interrupted when he worked. So like any other person, he stood there awkwardly in attempts to get his attention, yet trying to not bother him. 

Penguin stared almost baffled between the two before face palming, letting out a heavy sigh. "Eustass, pick something before the train leaves. A hug, kiss, shake hands? Anything would be fine right now." 

"Shut up! I know that!" 

Law turned towards Eustass as if he had remembered something. "Oh Eustass-ya." 

"What?!" Eustass turned still fuming until he felt the brush against his lips. 

"Have a good first day at work." Law spoke calmly before returning back to analyzing. It didn't appear to phase the android, but it didn't help his own growing embarrassment. Penguin, on the other hand, burst out in laughter, holding onto his stomach. 

When Law noticed the scene, he tilted his head confused. "I thought it was normal to kiss your love ones before they left to work?" Law spoke before turning towards Penguin. "It seemed to work better when you did it with Killer-ya earlier." 

The hatted man grinned, shrugging. "Person by person case." 

Eustass glared at Penguin. "Stop teaching him stuff." 

Penguin rolled his eyes. "Oh come now, you enjoyed that. Besides he was only mimicking what he wanted to do." 

An announcer spoke in the speakers calling for a last minute call before the train left. Eustass immediately ran for the train and grabbed one of the empty seats. He looked out of the window trying to see if he could find Law and Penguin. The two immediately waved to him as the train was starting to move. 

Eustass let out a sigh as he leaned back against the cushion seat when the train left the station. He still couldn't get used to it. Law's small acts of affection. He's unsure how Law was able to develop any affection in the first place or how he ended up falling in love with something he created himself. Law confirmed that he usually analyzed the situation and chose the best action that from his memory bank. It hadn't answered his question on how, but he figured if the android wanted to be with him, who was he to stop him when he wanted him too? 

Over the past week, he could feel himself slowly falling deeper in love with the android. Not that he hadn't realize it before, but now he just wanted to be with Law when he could. He could also sense the annoyance from his best friend. Killer was still unsure about the relationship, but hasn't mention a word. He was, however, relieved at the fact that Kid wasn't threatening the clients as much and Law was _keeping_ him out of trouble. 

For the next hour and a half, he watched the scenery change before him. The changes of old to new as they got closer towards Grand Line City. The streets had gotten cleaner and were actually paved compared to dirt paths and cobblestone. 

Doflamingo had suggested for him to move into the city. His job was located at headquarters in capital city. It was roughly a 2 hour drive by car, an hour and a half by train. He would've considered it if he hadn't liked his home. He still liked South Blue, he's lived there his entire life minus the time when he was in Mariejois University. Even with it's bad reputation, it was still his home. Plus, he didn't want Law any closer to Doflamingo than needed. 

The train arrived in the station and he left with a crowd of people. Eustass had followed the stream of people heading out towards the exit. Immediately as he left the building, he looked at the capital city before him: Grand Line City. It's been years since he's been in the capital, but it still looked as high tech as when he was a kid. Maybe even more so. 

The streets were cluttered with cars and a constant tune of cars honking was new to him. Ads lit up on huge jumbo screens on the side of buildings. Currently they were advertising the Amazon Lily Brand, a few girls posing the new clothing line. Kid hadn't paid much attention to the women as he instead saw the grand train of them all. 

The Oro Jackson entering into the station he just left. Despite the age of the train, he was sure it still ran as smoothly as it did when it first ran. The dark red color that only enhanced the gold outlining. It was also one of the last running steam trains as the new Puffing style trains all ran on electricity. As smoke started to come out of chimney, he turned and headed towards Smile Corporation. 

It wasn't hard to miss being one of the few skyscrapers around with the Smile logo etched into the glass building. He walked into the building and went straight for the man who stood at the receptionist desk. Within a few seconds, a women walked up to him. 

"Eustass Kid?" He nodded as he shook the women's hand that was extended. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Monet, Doffy's secretary. Please follow me to the meeting room." 

Monet led Eustass towards a meeting room. Kid couldn't help, but gap at some of the equipment that the company had. He remembered using some of them at Mariejois, most of the ones here were top of the line or the newest model. He could feel his hands itching to use them. There were also a few machines scattered in there that he hadn't seen before. 

Every so often, he would stop in front of a display screen and watch the technicians behind it work. At this moment, it looked like another animatronic was being made. From what he could tell, he could only imagine it was for a different project as the arm looked similar to a dinosaur arm. He watched in awe as it moved fluently like it was alive. 

"Eustass." Doflamingo's secretary spoke. "This is the meeting room. There should be one more person joining as well. Please get acquainted with your teammates." 

Eustass nodded slightly as he entered the room. Monet left returning in the direction they came. A solid white room with a large tv screen on one wall. A long black table with multiple seats trailing down the side. One man sat towards the back, his eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses, looked up towards him. The man wore a light blue suit top similar to his brightly light blue hair. 

Kid couldn't tell why, but he looked familiar in a way. Unfortunately he couldn't pinpoint where. 

The man lowered his sunglasses. "Hmm? AOW!" He suddenly jumped to his feet, shocking Eustass at the sudden movement. "I know you from somewhere." This time he removed his glasses, placing them on his hair. 

Eustass stared at him. At the moment, he should be trying to figure out where the two may have met. Instead, he was more concerned about the man's lack of pants. "What happened to your pants?" 

The man looked down before looking back at him, folding his arms. "Does a man really need to be restricted by something as ludicrous as pants?" 

"Yes, unless you want to get arrested for being a pervert." 

He gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks!" 

"That wasn't a compliment!" 

"Anyways," the man ignored the last statement, much to Kid's annoyance. "You're Eustass Kid from South Blue right?" Kid only nodded and the man grinned. "Come on, you're telling me you don't remember me, bro? We used to hang out in the junkyard together." 

Realization hit him, as he looked at the man before him once again in a different light. "Cutty Flam?" 

He rolled his arms before bringing them together, leaning slightly to the left. "Ding ding! You are _super_ correct! Though I changed my name after I was adopted, Kid. I go by Franky now." 

This made Kid return the man's grin. He had remembered Franky back when they were barely higher than four feet. Back when the only thing he was interested in was a cartoon about robots. It had fascinated him to where all he could think about was robots. He was the only friend he had in that desolate suburban street. An orphan named Cutty Flam. The two loved robots and often met up in the junkyard to find 'parts' to re-create their own. 

"How have you been, Franky? What has it been, twenty years now?" 

"I've been super! I have a brother now, we both own Galley-La that Pops left us. I got married a few years ago. And now, Doflamingo contracted me in to help with this project." 

"Galley-La? You're Tom's adopted son?" 

The man smirked. "I sure am." 

Before Kid could ask any other questions, the doors opened again. The green haired women had let in a short, thin person. They walked in, heels clacking against the tiled floors. Short blond hair and a wide grin that could match Doflamingo's. 

Monet shifted her glasses as she looked at the three of them. "Doffy will be arriving soon. Please get acquainted until then." She closed the door as she left. 

"Ah! I know you! You're Eustass Kid, aren't you?" 

Eustass looked towards the new person. This time, he was sure he's never met this person before. Dressed in a khaki dress pants, with an interesting pattern green blouse and five inch heels. "Do I know you?" 

Letting out a high pitched laugh. "No, but I know _you_. The one who cheated his way into Mariejois and got expelled for punching the president's son. How dumb can you be?" They let out a small gasp. "Oh! I wasn't supposed to say that." 

Eustass growled as his eyes narrowed. Did this person think he could get away with saying that? He was about to step towards them before Franky's hand stopped him. "Oi, let's just get along, alright? I'm Franky. Miss, what is your name?" 

'She' smiled. "What was that?" The pitched voice suddenly lowered to a masculine voice. That had shocked both of them before the small blond cackled out of pure amusement. "I'm Dellinger, a software engineer from Sun Inc.." He returned back to his effeminate voice. "I am one of the leading programmers for Sun technology. Like that computer and most likely that phone in your pocket." 

Sun Inc. The multinational technology company that led the world into mobile smartphones. The man behind the operation, Fisher Tiger, had pushed the boundaries of what a landline could do. No longer restricted to the wall, the mobile phone allowed people to talk on the go. But his name also made a bigger stance as one of the few that didn't graduate from Mariejois. Unfortunately the man had passed away, passing the reigns to the current CEO, Jinbe, another non-Mariejois graduate. 

"Would you be able to work with robotic engineering?" Eustass started. He figured since the three of them will be working together, he would _attempt_ to get along, rather than smash the guy's head in. He's only just got the job, he wasn't going to screw this up a second time. "Isn't the field different from a software programming for phones?" 

"Oh Kiddie," Dellinger giggled. "It's like your brain hasn't developed since you were a child. You may want to start with the newspaper." 

"What?!" 

"Anyways," he ignored the topic letting Eustass fumed. "I will at least applaud you for beating the snot out of that spoiled being." He grinned widely almost menacingly at the thought of it. "I'm sure it was _dutifully_ deserved. If you think I'll get in the way, you're sadly mistaken. The only one who will get in the way is you. We have no need for someone who will only ruin Doffy's reputation." 

Kid fisted his hand together. He could hear Killer telling him to play nice, but even he didn't have the patience to not knock the child size asshole out of the window. He easily towered over the blond, grabbing the man's shirt and lifting him up, but Dellinger's grin only widen as if he had planned for Kid to be provoked. "You want to say that again, you pint size piece of shit?" 

" _Please_ , show me what you can do." Dellinger spoke mockingly before his voice lowered again. "Prove to Doffy that you're a lowlife that can only speak with their fists." 

Franky intercepted the two before Kid could land a punch, putting his large hand on his arm. "Kid, put him down." Franky started. "It's not worth it." 

Kid breathed deeply as he looked at the smug blond in front of him before pushing him away. As much as it would satisfy him, he needed to keep the job. Even if he hated to admit it, he needed Doflamingo to keep him around. Kid needed to use him as a stepping stone into the field again. 

When Franky made sure Kid wasn't going to make another move, he turned to Dellinger. "Oi, Dellinger, that was uncalled for." Franky started, it had made the younger man frown like his toy was taken away from him. "Doflamingo had personally hired Kid from what I heard." 

"As if Doffy would have a need for-" 

"Dellinger." The blond had stopped when he heard his name. Doflamingo stood at the door. "I've hired Eustass Kid because he has a very important role in this project just like you. It's probably best to get along. Don't you think?" 

"I'm sure I'm enough for a project, Doffy. I can easily complete it without help." 

The man chuckled. "I'm sure you can, Dellinger, but there are some parts of the project that are outside your expertise." 

The young man folded his arms, pouting almost. "I could probably learn it quickly enough." He muttered bitterly. 

Doflamingo laughed. "I see you guys are going to be a lively group." He walked in, taking the head of the conference table. Vergo stayed by the door like he was guarding it. Kid raised a browless brow noticing that there was a meatball stuck to the side of the bodyguard's face. None of the other people seemed to say anything about it, so Kid went along with it for now. The three of them took their seats at the long table. "I hope you've all had the chance to get to know one another. All three of you have been recruited for a special project for Smile Corporation." 

"So what is this project?" Franky questioned. 

"We're going to make a café." 

Kid stared blankly at Doflamingo. "…a café?" 

The man only laughed at his response. "Yes. A fully automated café that's run by androids similar to your own." He grabbed a remote as he switched on the projector. 

Kid watched the slides as Doflamingo explained the café. Each android should be designed to cook, create drinks, take orders, serve, and use the cashier. The entire operation of the café should be handled by the androids. There will only be on person there to handle maintenance and turning the androids on and off each day. Kid understood for the most part as he started to plan within his head the proper research that an android would need to learn the food industry. But at the same time, he still couldn't understand. "Why are we making androids for a café?" 

Dellinger rolled his eyes. "Of course, _you_ wouldn't get it. I think a café is a brilliant idea, Doffy." 

"The idea sounds…" Franky stood up rolling his arms before posing bringing his two arms together. "SUPER! It'll be perfect for this city especially when the summer season will be coming soon." 

"Well this is Doffy. The man knows how to have a successful idea." 

"I get that." Kid narrowed his eyes towards Dellinger, who happily smiled back with a rather smug look. "I just don't get why a café setting." 

"What's there to get? It's a café ran by androids. I would've thought the proposal was simple enough for even a little kiddie like you to understand." Dellinger spoke. 

"Besides Eustass," Franky cut in before Kid could attack Dellinger. "Wouldn't you want to go to a café ran by super androids?" 

"I've… always wanted to visit a café run by androids." Vergo spoke out. 

"See? Even Vergo wants to go." 

Kid watched almost baffled by the two. He understood Dellinger, the man already seem brainwashed by Doflamingo as he had agree with anything he said, but Franky too? As he eyed Doflamingo, who was highly amused at the situation. He was sitting on top of the table, another thing that no one seemed to question, his ever present grin seem to widen when he noticed Kid looking at him. 

He turned away as he looked at the others. Dellinger was speaking to Doflamingo while Franky was currently by Vergo crying next to him about him never going to a café. He rubbed his temples at the sheer insanity of this place. Everything seemed to happen at random without much of a plan going forward. But at the same time, now working under Doflamingo, he was starting to realize just how much power the man had. Without a single debate, he had unanimously got an agreement from everyone within seconds of the proposal. 

He understood that the café would have a novelty to it being completely ran by androids, but if they all looked and acted human was it really something special? Not to mention the amount of café shops, coffee stops, and internet cafes that he passed by from the train station. Adding a new café would only create more competition. Was Doflamingo planning on monopolizing another field? 

"Fufufufu~ What's wrong, Eustass?" Doflamingo spoke in a mocking tone. Kid glared at him causing massive man to laugh. "You should just go along with the flow. Believe me, it'll be much easier on you." It had sounded like a threat even if it was supposed to be advice. Kid frowned, but didn't respond causing Doflamingo to smirk. He jumped off the table and stood up. "Since we're all in agreement, does that mean you two will be joining in?" 

The two agreed and signed the contracts to be temporarily hired onto the project. "I've already got a team of interior designers working on the layout of the café. Within three months, we'll be unveiling the project to the press. At the press conference, I would like at least one prototype of a worker; waitress or waiter. He or she should be able to do everything that was required on the slide." 

Dellinger and Franky instantly looked at each other. "Waitress/Waiter." 

Dellinger frowned. "We should make a waitress. It's a classic choice for a café. I would've thought a pervert like you would agree." 

"No way. A waiter would be much more _super_ to build. Plus we can put in weapons in his arsenal for security." 

"You do know we'll have to program which ever we pick, right?" But Kid's statement fell onto deaf ears. 

"This a café, not a bank!" Dellinger stomped with his heels. "Besides you can put it on a women too." 

Franky was silent for a second. "I can't put a women through that kind of embarrassment." Everyone looked at him with bewilderment on their faces. He shrugged like he was used to it. "My wife refuses take part of anything I make relating to robots. Says it's too embarrassing for her." 

Eustass gaped. Just what had he done that even his wife would refuse to do that? Dellinger had rolled his eyes. "Well _I'll_ be programming her. So it doesn't even 're choosing to build a waitress." 

Franky sighed, resigning like a father giving in to their child. "Fine, I'll still build her to be super though." 

Eustass sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The three of them would be working together for the next three months. He knew that working in a team needed some type of cooperation, he can only imagine how chaotic it'll be when they actually started working together. 

Franky placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Kid, let's make some super androids." 

* * *

That night, Eustass had met up with Law, Killer and Penguin at the restaurant. They had wanted to celebrate before Eustass became busy. Law and Penguin had spoke about the hospital visit. It had appeared Dr. Kureha had taken a liking to Law. Penguin had mentioned it had helped that Law was overly curious. Even though the visit was enjoyable for the android, he was more worried about Eustass being so close to Doflamingo. 

Eustass' explanation to his day had eased him. If anything, the thought of Eustass being in a café had shocked him more. Law tilted his head re-imagining a café setting, but he couldn't imagine Eustass being in that location. He didn't fit. 

"So you're going to program a waitress this time?" Penguin questioned, Eustass only nodded as he ate. "Well that isn't weird at all." 

Killer chuckled as Eustass glared. "Penguin's right though. Who would've imagined you would be building and programming a waitress. You also said your entire team were guys?" 

Eustass stabbed the meat with more force than needed. "Stop making it sound worst than it already is. Dellinger decided for us to create a waitress than a waiter. He's also kinda effeminate so I guess he'll probably worked closer with the android. But I'm more concerned about Doflamingo. I'm not entirely sure what he's up to with building a café." 

"Another monopoly from the sounds of it." Penguin stated. "Just like the toy industry." 

"Well it appears that there's nothing to worry about right now. At least he's not making you deal with his other business." Killer spoke out. 

They continued eating and talking, but Law only listened as he was processing and sorting his thoughts. He watched them consumed the food and drinks in front of them. Something that was essential for humans to survive. There was food in front of him too, but he neither touched nor ate it; not that he needed it to begin with. He was built without a need for food or water. He ran on a lithium-ion battery and only needed to be recharged when his battery was low. 

The others had noticed the strange stare their waiter had when Law had said he didn't need to eat. Not wanting to explain the situation, Kid had picked something for Law in which he'll eat later. The android hadn't quite understood, he figured it had at least made him appeared more human, but he felt out of place like he didn't belong in this scenario. 

That night when Eustass and Law returned home. Eustass had gotten out of his suit leaving on only his boxers. He had mentioned that the humidity was worst here than the city. Though Law hadn't understood what Eustass had meant, he shrugged and nodded along. 

"You were quiet today Law. I thought you ran out of power or something." 

Law hummed as he was opening his textbook. "I'm currently charging." Pointing with his head at the wire that was attached to him. He didn't need to, but it seemed easier to agree with him than trying to explain the current thoughts he was still processing. "Besides I was listening to you. Your team sounds interesting. Are you going to start building her tomorrow?" 

"Yea, I'll be working with Franky with the blueprints and start building with him. Once everything is done, I'll jump over and help out with that short asshole with the programming." 

Despite the annoyance, he could hear the energy in his voice. It was a nice change to hear Eustass be enthusiastic for something. "You sound excited." 

Eustass smiled, wrapping his arms around Law's waist. "I am." He gave the android a good night's kiss before laying back down. It didn't take long before Eustass was out cold from the long day. 

Once Eustass had fallen asleep, Law paused his thoughts to reanalyzed his data. It's become habit for him to scan his creator each night once he's fallen asleep to ensure he was healthy. When he completed the task, he read for the remainder of the night. Tonight, his eyes may be on the textbook, but he was more focused on the scenes throughout the day within his head. 

He was happy for Eustass. The man was seething with excitement like a little kid in a candy store. But he's been distracted on other matters. Who would've thought that the events of a single day had made it clear just how different he was from a human being. 

The talks with the doctor made him realize how fragile a human life could be compare to himself. Humans could die so easily. Disease, fatal injuries, accidents, old age. None of that could effect him and even if it did, all he needed was a new part to work again. Even a new body could be obtained for him as long as his motherboard and backup data was safe. He witness at the hospital a group of family members had cried over the loss of their father while on the other side of the hospital, a woman and man had cried over the birth of their child. 

This only made him think about Eustass. He knew that eventually the man would die. No human can live forever and most likely Law would turn himself off when that happened. He would have completed his reason for being built; to keep Eustass company. But he wondered. Did tears signify that humans cared about one another? Would he be able to cry to show that he cared when Eustass eventually died? He pushed the silly thought aside. No, he physically wasn't able to. 

He's always known he was an android. A machine programmed with human abilities such as speech and thought. He understood that Kid had built him this way to become his companion. Law hadn't mind if it had helped and made Eustass happy. Over the last few months since he's been operating, he started to believe that he could easily fit in with humans. His limitations didn't stop him from interacting and responding. He could process a thought and effortlessly respond as any other human being would. But he knew those abilities stopped around there. 

He couldn't feel how soft or hard a material could be. He didn't know if food was good or bad nor could he experience it. And as for this human emotion of love. He wasn't entirely sure if it was something he had. 

Experiences that humans have while their in love usually equated to something similar to a rise in adrenaline. Sweaty hands, heart beating faster, that feeling of seeing only them in a crowd of people. Though Law thought that last one was a bit ridiculous. It wasn't like they wouldn't notice the mass crowd around them. If anything, it was just their visual field focusing in on one person. It didn't mean everyone else just suddenly disappeared. As for the sweaty hands and heart beating faster. It was a simple case of the brain sending signals into the adrenal gland releasing hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine causing the rate of the heart to go faster. 

And yet. Just observing both Killer and Penguin today. While the three of them were heading towards the restaurant, the two were hand in hand. Despite the crowd they were trekking through, it looked like the two only focused on the other. They laughed and smiled. Talked and joked around. Penguin had brought up at the beginning that Killer's hands would often get sweaty whenever they held hands. Killer would apologize and Penguin would laugh it off saying it didn't matter. Penguin's had also mentioned that his heart rate is calm now as the two of them became comfortable with one another. When they first dorm together, Penguin had thought his heart would give out each time he walked in on Killer changing. He was sure at one point Killer was doing it just for a reaction. 

For him? Law didn't have the capabilities for that. His body had no sweat glands. He also didn't have a beating heart or any organs for that matter. And even if he were to only see Eustass in a crowd. It was due to him focusing onto the red haired man. His cameras still detected everyone else around him. He was sure there were others symptoms beside that to deemed if he was in love. 

He cared for his creator. At least he thinks he does. He felt worried when Eustass was sick and he did want him to get better. The remodification on his hands were to make it easier to take his temperature along with his eyes that could scan to ensure he was healthy. He observed Eustass every single day. Despite how spontaneous Eustass is in his temper and how impulsive he could be. The man worked similarly in a pattern and that made it easier for Law to keep track of him. Woke up, breakfast, walked to work, work, lunch, work, walked home, dinner, work, slept. And the pattern repeated again. There were a few times the pattern derailed and changed, but for the most part, it was similar enough. 

On days that Law did happen to follow Eustass to work, the man always had a tendency to check up on Law every so often before falling back into work. Law feels like Eustass cared about him. Everyday after Eustass was finished with work, he would do maintenance on the various parts of Law. He'd tinker, fiddle, and fix every part until they were to his standard. And Law found that both endearing and fascinating. 

The red haired man had put his time, effort, and love into him. Would that be consider love? It had felt like it, but he was unable to calculate it. Did Eustass' heart rate speed up? Did his hands sweat? Would he only notice him in a crowd of people? They all sounded rather childish, but Law wanted to know, so he continued to watch and evaluate. 

He frowned a bit. _What a complicated emotion._ He wondered if it was possible to program a way to read Eustass' mind. He believes the red haired loves him, but would Law be able to show it when some of the simple symptoms wasn't something he was capable of doing? 

He looked towards Eustass again. Whenever the red haired was extremely tired he would often snore, sometimes softly, other times quite loudly. That was usually when Law would disable the mics within his ears. Other times, he would sleep with his mouth open and then question why his mouth was dry the following morning. As of right now, he was snoring lightly. His expression were soft with a weird grin. _Must be having a nice dream._ Law assumed. 

Eustass moved, turning onto his back with both arms spread on each side. The light blanket that was on him was currently kicked off. Law kept his eye on him, concerned that he would fall off the bed like a few nights ago. When Eustass didn't make another motion to move, Law closed the book putting it on the nightstand. 

He reached towards where Eustass' heart was located, laying his hand stretched out on the pale skin. He was warm from what the temperature told him, but it wasn't like he could feel his heart beat, he mused. He wondered, what it would be like to have a beating heart within his chest. How would it feel? What would it sound like? Would his heart race whenever he was with Eustass? He then looked towards Eustass again. The man was out like a light. _Would it work?_ Well it's not like he would mind, he figured. 

Law leaned his head down against Eustass' chest. 

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum… Ba-dum…_

He listened to the steady heartbeat. Feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest and the sound of light snoring. Having a breathing soul. A heartbeat. Was it required to understand how to love? He had thought the moment was right a week ago. In retrospect, everything seemed to check off. Eustass even kissed him back until he had a mental freak out and ran away. Law had followed afterwards and eavesdropped on him. 

He was pissed at Eustass' assumptions, but he wasn't entirely wrong. Law couldn't tell if he was in love or not. All the symptoms were there to deemed that he did like the man, if not love him. But what exactly did love entail? As he continued to listen to Eustass' heartbeat, he closed his eyes, wondering what it'll be like to sleep. To eat. To feel. To love. 

_If I were human… Would I know how to love him?_


	14. Fragment

Two weeks have passed since Eustass has started to work at Smile Corporation. As much as he hated to admit it, he loved working there. He enjoyed heading to work each morning and spending those two hours on the train plotting and planning on the day's work. Of course, the train ride home was annoying as he was tired and just wanted to be home with Law sleeping. 

He still wasn't entirely sure what was the point of having a café ran by androids. Sure, it would be cool; it would be different, but when they acted human, wasn't it just like any other place? Franky had explained that it would be revolutionary for the Smile Corporation to have toys and animatronics with that kind of artificial intelligence that could learn anything. 

There was something interesting that he had mentioned. When Doflamingo first reached out to him, he told him that he wanted to try something different, but wanted to test it out first for a small project. He had only heard the rest of the details later on when everyone was assembled and like Dellinger, agreed to join the project. Franky figured that Doflamingo wanted to start out with a small cafe in case the project itself had failed. If it turned out successful, it could change the world and Doflamingo would most likely have another monopoly on his hands. A very different monopoly that consisted of androids with a high artificial intelligence. 

Kid was still unsure, but he could see and understand Doflamingo's actions. If he was the sole distributor of androids, who acted human and could learn anything. They could be used for possibly anything that the human mind could think of. Franky seemed to have a way of words to convince him that this was for the good of humanity and he should be proud for being able to develop something like this. It wasn't like he didn't trust Franky's words, he just didn't trust anything that Doflamingo would do. For now, he'll continued as planned, it helped that he was doing something he enjoyed to take his mind off those wary thoughts. 

He's made a duplicate of the blueprints that he used to make Law. The new android was significantly different from Law's model. For one, she was a female. He didn't mind it so much until he realized a female's torso was much smaller than a male's. But it wasn't just the torso, that would've been too easy. Every. Single. Part of a female's body was just smaller. With less space within the android meant many things had to be revised and shrunk to create the same effect. The bad news was, due to the smaller size, the machinery underneath would have to be changed to still be able to lift a certain amount of weight without breaking. Especially when the android had to deal with inventory. Not to mention the issue with the motherboard and battery. 

He had loss sleep over this, trying to figure out a way to make it all fit and remain functional. Eventually it was Franky who devised a way to shrink both the size to fit the smaller torso yet still maintain the longevity of the battery and processing power of the motherboard. Eustass wasn't sure how the man was able to figure it out, but it had saved him the trouble to. 

Once those issues were taken care of and the blueprints were completed, they immediately started working. It was strange working with Franky again like a weird sense of déjà vu. They still worked well together after all these years as if those twenty plus years hasn't effected their friendship. Except it was different this time. They were no longer pretending to build something with parts found in the junkyard. They had actual machinery and tools to help them build. 

The way they worked in sync had reminded him of how he worked with Killer. Though Killer was much more quiet while he worked, they still worked quickly and efficiently. Franky was talkative, often making conversation while they worked. Most of the conversation was reminiscent of the past while others was catching up with what they have been up to for twenty so years. The man was still strange in a sense as his outfit never included pants, but he couldn't say too much with his usual wardrobe never really included a shirt unless he was heading into the city or work. Looking past that, Franky hasn't changed one bit since he was younger. He was still loud and very much into robots. 

Despite how nice it was to work with Franky again, there was still Dellinger, the third member of their team. After their initial meeting, Doflamingo had decided to put Kid in charge of managing their schedule since he had the knowledge of building an android. Dellinger wasn't too happy, but he did follow his instructions with a disgruntle attitude. 

He figured Dellinger wasn't going to build anything as he was better suited with the programs. So he left the short blond to research the actions of people in the food service field. He seemed fine with it as he so eloquently put it _'at least I don't have to see you guys often_.' He mostly worked on his own and only showed up at the lab to transfer notes and start any new programs related to his observation. When he wasn't doing any of that, he was annoying the fuck out of Eustass. And Dellinger made sure of it, every time he walked into the lab. 

He knew Dellinger was doing it on purpose just to annoy him. He wasn't sure the reasoning behind it, but it pissed him off. Kid had restraint himself from punching the small blond ten floors into the fucking foundation below. He kept reminding himself that he just needs to deal with him for a little while longer and the man would be out of his hair. Though there were multiple times that he was provoked by Dellinger and Franky had to step in. But aside from the usually insults, what annoyed him the most was Dellinger's refusal to use any of the programs he had used for Law as a starting point. The blond had preferred to work and figure out the coding himself. 

From what he had heard from Franky, Dellinger wasn't just some obnoxious asshole that only ran his mouth. The man was smart. Extremely smart. And that wasn't something Eustass had expected. About a year after he had left Mariejois University, a thirteen year old prodigy from Fishmen Island in the New World received the Donquixote Scholarship. He hadn't heard much about the prodigy at that time, but he knew about the Donquixote Scholarship. 

Doflamingo being the CEO of Smile Corporation and the creator of Smile Toys, he made a career and platform catering to the wants and needs of children. This had led him to find the brightest children for a full scholarship to any school of their choice. Most of the children that are offered the scholarship usually ends up working for Doflamingo at the Smile Corporation or is given help to find a suitable alternative. 

Dellinger was one of those lucky few that obtained the scholarship. Dellinger ended up staying local, going to Fishmen University, focusing on a double major in computer engineering and robotics engineering. Though he ended up in Sun Inc as a software engineer, Dellinger was often contracted to work on the animatronics at Smile Corporation. At least, that's what Franky knew from the man. 

The door to the lab swung open, but Kid didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The heels were a dead giveaway. The red haired continued to work on the wiring in the arm. It appeared that Dellinger had went straight to the computer rather than bother him. 

"Dellinger, how was the Baratie?" Franky asked. 

"Annoying. The owner is an ass and the waiter I'm following around is even worst." Dellinger muttered out. "All the cooks disgust me and somehow it baffles me that this is the top restaurant in Grand Line City." He eventually turned towards them when he had finished. "By the way, there's this store that I pass by when I was walking to the Baratie. I recommend you go there, they sell quality pants." 

Kid had figured Franky was going to ignore the comment, like any other comments they had made about his lack of pants. But Franky instead started to walk towards the younger teammate. He lifted his sunglasses, looking down at him. "No way, it would insult my perverted fashion." Well that wasn't the response Eustass was expecting, and it was clear Dellinger hadn't expected it either by the look he was giving him. 

Franky only grinned, sliding his sunglasses back in place. "Come on, let me show you. Follow my lead!" Eustass and Dellinger raised a brow. Music started to played from his phone's speakers as Franky started to snap to the beat of the song. "Shake your hips to the right." He spoke as he followed his own instructions. "Right hand to the waist and stick out your left hand." 

Dellinger watched slightly disturbed at the display, though Eustass couldn't tell what Dellinger was actually thinking, he could only imagine it was along the same line as _what the absolute fuck is going on?_ It was strange, but Eustass has noticed that on days that the three of them were together, some kind of weird phenomenon occurs where he just didn't have words for it. He usually wouldn't think much of it, but Dellinger didn't stop in often and when he did. Some variety of _this_ seems to happen. 

"Now slide and... Reverse!" Franky danced to the music. "Right! Left! Right! Left! Right Left!" He repeated as he danced, leaning from side to side. "Come on! Join in!" This had went on for a few minutes before Franky grinned rolling his arms before leaning slightly to the side and bringing his arms together. " _SUPER_!" He laughed. "Now that's how it's done!" 

Dellinger flushed when he noticed that he had unconscious followed along half-way through. He swung his leg around and kicked Franky straight out of the double doors to the lab. "God damn it! Don't pull me into your perverted ways!" 

Eustass was clearly just as embarrassed as he rubbed his hand over his face to try to rid the redness in his cheeks. He was a bit mortified that he was caught up in Franky's antics. One minute he was watching and by the end, he was next to Franky following along. Days like these makes him wonder if he would lose whatever was left of his sanity by joining this team. Wasn't Franky supposed to be the mature one being the oldest member? 

"I swear, you people make me regret joining this project." Dellinger huffed as he stomped on his heels. 

Franky eventually walked back into the lab, rubbing his back. "Anyways," acting like nothing unusual just took place. "Most of the android is finished. We're just working on some of the minor details right now. She should be ready for the programs to be uploaded into her." 

Kid nodded, looking towards Dellinger. "I need to know your status on the research and which programs you've already completed so I can start on the ones you haven't gotten to." When he noticed how Dellinger frowned, Kid returned it, narrowing his eyes. "Which programs have you finished?" 

"Does it matter? It'll be ready when you guys are ready." 

Kid could feel his brow twitch a bit, he had a feeling that Dellinger didn't have much done. "Just use the references that I gave you." 

"I don't need them. If someone like you could do it, then I can easily figure it out." He couldn't pinpoint if this was Dellinger's pride talking or his stubbornness. Either or, it had annoyed Kid each time they had this discussion. 

"You're just wasting time at this point." 

"Just focus on building, Kiddie. I'll deal with my own assignments." Dellinger said effectively ending the conversation as he turned towards the android itself. "So is the prototype going to have a name or are we just going to keep calling her android?" 

Franky grinned. "I'm glad you asked, cause I have the perfect name. I thought about this a lot over the pass two weeks. This android will be named the Super Franky Mech 1: Waitress Edition." 

This made Kid gapped before uttering out a, "...what?" 

Dellinger also looked at him strangely. "You're not serious, are you?" When Franky didn't deny. "You don't expect us to say that entire name every single time do you? Besides why does your name have to be on it just because you and the little Kiddie built it?" 

He could feel his brow twitching. "Call me that again, and the only thing you'll see is the pavement out that window." 

He scoffed. "I will when you actually grow up." Dellinger walked up closer to the android. He could see all the wires and metal plates holding it together. "Just keep it simple and call her Waitress One." 

"Now that's just cold, Dellinger... Where's the passion in the name if you just called it something generic? We need some flare in the name that would make us want to go _SUPER_." 

"I don't even want to go down the hallway with you, much less do that." Dellinger rebuked. "Besides it's a robot. They are essentially to the point of being an inanimate object, why does it matter?" 

This had made Kid scowl. Though the blond wasn't entirely false on the statement, it had angered him immensely. He knew it wasn't personal, but imagining him calling Law an inanimate object was enough to make him want to strangle him. The blond was currently focused on the android, observing the way it was built. It was perfect enough for Kid to clock him clean off his heels. But before he could attempt it, Franky had grabbed on his arm, while continuing the conversation. 

"Because we're building an android, bro. She's going to be a _super_ human." 

Dellinger scoffed. "An artificial human at the end of the day is just that. Artificial." He turned around and Franky had let go of Kid's arm. 

This seemed to help Kid move past his initial thought of murdering the blond, though the idea still sounded like something he will probably do if they were left alone. For now, he silently thanked Franky and was glad about this restraint he's been working on has improved. "Why don't we just give her an actual name?" Kid questioned. It was probably the easiest way anyways. Kid hadn't named any of his prototypes, at least, he hadn't remembered what they were. But while he was building Law, he was always trying to figure out a name for him. An actual name that he will live by. 

"No way, Kid. She's still a prototype. We're most likely going to be going through a bunch of versions or even rebuilding if necessary. Besides, it will be Doflamingo's decision in the end to name the android. We just need something to call her until then." 

Dellinger groaned in frustration. "That's why we should keep it generic. It's simple and we don't really need to overthink it." Eustass could feel the blond's annoyance with the conversation especially since Franky isn't budging with the name. "Forget this, you two figure it out, I'm going to go back to work." He turned around about to return back to the computer when he notice a small girl walk by the display window. He ran out immediately, yelling down the hall. "Sugar! Can you come here for a second?" 

When the blond brought the smaller girl in, Kid raised a brow. She was shorter than Dellinger, but that wasn't what surprised him. The baby face, childlike appearance of her's made her look like a high schooler. Maybe younger. She looked like a doll, the short cut, turquoise hair that stopped before her shoulders and an indifference expression. She popped a grape into her mouth, carefully looking at the three males before focusing on Dellinger. "Are you here to visit Doffy, Dellinger?" 

"Doffy contracted me for the android project." He spoke proudly. "Oh, these are my teammates, Franky and Eustass Kid." Dellinger turned around. "This is Sugar. She's the Head Toy Designer for the toys here and another recipient of the Donquixote Scholarship." 

Sugar nodded to them in acknowledgement. "I've heard Doffy had put together a team of weirdoes for a special project. I just hadn't expected it to be you guys." She ate another grape. "Well it was nice to meet you." She spoke flatly. 

"Actually," Dellinger cut her off before she could leave. "We need your opinion. What should we call our prototype?" 

The girl looked towards the android, her eyes almost twinkled as she admire the design. "It needs a name?" 

" _She_ ," Franky emphasized. "She needs a name. Besides, it's essential to name your projects." 

Sugar gave him a deadpanned look. "No, not entirely, not all prototypes needs a name. However, if you absolutely need a name, just call her Waitress One. Keep it generic." 

"That's what I said!" 

"No way!" Franky rejected. "We need a better name than that." 

Even Kid was starting to get frustrated with the man. "Can't we just pick an actual name and let Doflamingo change it?" 

"We can't, it would look like we already decided a name without Doflamingo's say in the decision." 

"Alright!" Sugar interrupted them. "I get it, she needs a name. What can she currently do?" Sugar asked, looking at the android again. 

"Absolutely nothing." Sugar raised a brow at this. "We haven't uploaded the programs yet." Dellinger explained. 

Sugar scoffed. "Just like a baby. Call her Baby 1 then. That should solve the prototype name and versions all in one." She said before leaving mentioning that she was late for a design meeting, but Eustass had a feeling she didn't want to stay any longer than needed. He couldn't blame her for feeling that. 

The three guys looked at each other, contemplating the name. Eustass still didn't understand the point of naming the prototype, yet not exactly naming her. But after spending two weeks with these two, he realized reason wasn't exactly a good enough reason for any explanation of their strange behavior or thought process. By now, he figured, it was better to just go with it than attempt an interpret their behavior. 

Dellinger was the first to break the silence. "I'm fine with Baby 1. We'll just change the number with each prototype version. So it works out well." 

"I still prefer my suggestion, but I guess Baby 1 is fine too." Franky said. 

Eustass shrugged as he ran his hand through his hair. He still preferred giving the android a name, but somehow the name of it sounded fine to him. He looked at the android. "So it's decided, she's going to be named Baby 1 for now." 

* * *

It was quiet as he walked into the cemetery with flowers in his hand. It was Killer's annual trip here. Penguin had followed close behind as they headed to a familiar tombstone. As they got closer, Killer had noticed there were flowers already there. Red tulips. Killer chuckled before placing down the sunflowers next to them. 

"I'm guessing Eustass had stopped by earlier." 

"I can't imagine anyone else giving my mom red tulips." 

After the two had become friends, the red haired's mother wasn't accepting of Killer, often watching him like he was about to attack. So Kid spent all his time at Killer's house instead after school. His own mother was glad that Killer had made a friend and allowed Kid to come over whenever he wanted. It was the first time in a while that he saw his mother's smile. She often said how Kid's hair had matched the red tulips in her garden. Kid wasn't too happy with the comparison. 

His mother had passed away from stress cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome. When he was younger, he had tried everything to make her happy again, but the thought of the man she loved was a murderer only consumed her and broken her down. There was also an accumulated stress from knowing how the town had felt about her own child. Eventually the stress became too much and she died from it. 

When she passed away in the hospital, Kid was the only one there for him, just like the first time they met. He made sure that Killer didn't fall into despair, after all, Killer was all alone now. His family members were no longer there for him since the murder incident and any extended family he had, wanted nothing to do with him. Before he had met Penguin, all he had was Kid. Even Penguin understood that no matter what had happened, he would help Kid through anything the man would go through. 

"Hey Mom, looks like Eustass came here before I did? Did he tell you about his new job? He's going to do some interesting things in the future." 

Penguin snickered. "You sound just like his mother." 

Killer chuckled at the comment, "that still makes you his father." 

"Let me go dye my hair red just to freak him out." 

He smiled a bit before looking at the red tulips. He was concerned about Eustass and Penguin knew it. He crouched down so his eyes were leveled with the tombstone. He spoke about his concerns to his late mother. He told her about Trafalgar. He didn't mention any animosity towards the android, even if she wasn't physically present, he knew that it would only make her sad if he spoke about anything of hatred. He understood that Eustass has fallen in love with his own creation. That was an already worrisome topic, yet he was sure his mother would be happy to hear that Eustass has found someone even if it was not the most ideal way. 

But right now, he was more concerned about Eustass' job at Smile Corporation. When his mother was alive, Smile Corporation had already transitioned their factories into South Blue. She never knew about the drugs. At least, she never mentioned having knowledge about it. He told her about Kid's new job and project. It was a good job and the android project was something perfect for Kid to work on. Smile Corporation had a good reputation, that was something no one could deny and if Kid were to eventually leave after however many years, he would at least have a good stepping stone to help him. 

Kid was a hard worker, Killer knew how smart even before they became friends. He was a workaholic especially when it came to things that interest him. He would become entrance by his work, not even remembering the outside world until he became too tired to focus. Even then, in his tired state, he would be thinking up of the next steps. But Kid had one horrible habit of not telling anyone any of his problems until it was too late. His problems were exactly that. His problems. Until the red haired couldn't handle it anymore. 

He had remembered not being able to speak to Eustass after the first year of his university. He understood that the coursework at Mariejois didn't give a person an inch of breathing time, but it frustrated him and annoyed him. Eventually he stopped trying and had met Penguin. Things were fine and he saw Eustass' achievements through the media instead. That at least gave him some relief, but he felt the distance, like Eustass really was going to go on and do better things. Forget the place that he came from. Forget everything that they had gone through. 

He would've felt horrible, alone, almost betrayed if he hadn't met Penguin. Penguin gave him the acceptance he needed. And in the end, he was proud of what Eustass had done, even if he couldn't speak or congratulate him in person. Everything was going up for Eustass. The media was scrambling as the school year came to a close. They were waiting to see whose the one to watch from the upcoming graduating class of Mariejois University. 

That was... until the fight occurred. 

He was shocked watching what the news said that night. The same people who had praised his best friend for months had suddenly turned against him. Immediately he tried to contact Kid, but instead of ringing, it went straight to voicemail. He had tried his house multiple times, but no one was home. Every day, he would check to see if the man had come home. And each time, he was disappointed when Kid wasn't home yet. Eventually, a few days later, he and Penguin was heading towards the house when Killer noticed a shadow in the window. Immediately they ran to the house only to find the door unlock and Eustass tearing the place apart. After Killer managed to knock him out, Penguin took care of any self-injuries Eustass has caused. 

Once his friend had woken up, he could see the pain and frustration that Kid was going through. And that had deeply irritated him that he couldn't do anything for him. Killer was worried that history would repeat itself a second time, but this time, Eustass had Trafalgar. Instinctively, he frowned at the thought of the android. He could only hope that Trafalgar will make sure Eustass doesn't end up like that again. 

The hatted man walked over, slipping his hand into Killer's and giving it a squeeze. "Just trust in Eustass." 

"I do trust in him," Killer paused. Of course he trusted in Kid. He trusted that Kid would make the right decisions even when he's going against Doflamingo. "But I also know him too well to trust in this decision." 

Penguin smiled a bit as he looked at the tombstone. "But it's different now isn't it? He has Law. I think he'll be okay, Law will take care of him. I'm sure your mother is happy about that." 

"Yeah, she's probably ecstatic to hear that Eustass finally fell in love." Any kind of joyous event, she would have smiled for. Even if it was just a moment. "Keep in contact with Trafalgar. I have a feeling I won't be able to contact Kid soon." 

"I will, we're meeting up today." Penguin replied as he held hands with his boyfriend, heading out of the cemetery. 

* * *

Law arrived at Gol Plaza looking around for Penguin. Penguin had originally planned on going to come pick him up, but he had to finish up some last minute things at the hospital. To save him some trouble, Law told him he would meet him at Gol Plaza. Penguin hadn't fully agreed to it as Eustass had specifically said to not let the android outside of the house alone. Law figured he knew how to get there, what would be the issue? 

He never understood why Eustass was so afraid of him leaving the house by himself. Wasn't his goal to create the perfect android that could become a human being a success? Law knew his limitations and as long as he wasn't in those situations, he looked and acted human enough. He had wanted to pick up Eustass at the train station, but even that was deemed too dangerous. 

It had annoyed Law being treated as if he was fragile. He wasn't easily broken, not like before. If anything, he was much more efficient than a human. He didn't require sleep nor food. If something was damaged, he could easily get it fixed and it wouldn't have impeded on his performance. Despite this, it didn't stop him from wondering what it would be like to be human, not that it would ever be possible to be completely human. 

Over the pass two weeks, it was clear how little time Eustass was able to spend with him. During the first week, the man was out like a light the moment he got home. Law hadn't minded, he understood how important the project was to him and how excited he was to work on it. Days that he was able to stay awake, he was often head deep in the blueprints while eating dinner. 

As he checked on Eustass each night, he's noticed the rise in fatigue and that worried Law. He didn't need to analyze him to be able to see how tired he was each day he came back. Humans got tired overtime for different reasons. There was usually two types of fatigue, mental and physical. He figured in this case, it was most likely mental fatigue. His analyzation only recommended Eustass to take a break and rest. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the man from going to work the following morning. 

Law wasn't sure how fatigue would effect a human overtime if it continued to build. After a certain amount of years, a human's health will start to deteriorate. Law understood this was mostly due to age, but it was possible that other factors could play into it, speeding up the process. He'll just had to continue to watch over the red haired and observe the effects of it. He'll at least try to force Eustass to rest this weekend if anything. 

Though right now, Law was becoming restless. Before he had Eustass' job to go to, but now he was stuck within the containment of the house. He was starting to run out of things that he wanted to learn. He could only re-read a textbook so many times before he knew everything in it. Technically, he only needed to read it once, his memory bank would've remembered each and every word of it. But he figured, if he tried to be human, he would need to read it over again. It was meaningless, but he still did it anyways. 

He has, however, kept in touch with Penguin. The hatted man often called him while he was walking back to his apartment. They would talk about what Penguin had done that day in the hospital. Most of it was mundane, but Law had appreciated it. For him, he didn't know what to do with the amount of time he had. Before he would talk to Eustass, learn something new, update his own programming, but none of them was an option currently. 

Penguin had taken pity on him and tried to meet up with him after work, but it was difficult when they lived in the suburbs outside of the city area. Eventually Law had told him to not worry, he would find something to do. He looked through some of his back up memory on the computer. Eventually, at least he hoped, he would run into something he could expand his knowledge on. And he found just the thing: Donquixote Doflamingo. 

There was still some things Law didn't quite understand with the man. Such as why would he want Eustass to create him an android. The artificial intelligence that the red haired have developed wasn't exactly something Law would assume to be safe to give to just anyone. And yet, here Eustass was, creating Doflamingo an android similar to himself. 

From his research of Doflamingo's beginnings, the Donquixote name was originally from the New World in Dressrosa. They were fairly well known in Dressrosa for their small family shop with their two kids. That was until Doflamingo inherited the Donquixote Company of Toys and rebranded it under him as the Smile Corporation after he graduated Mariejois University. It was a simple story and would make a good inspirational story for any small family stores, but Law was more interested in his takeover of South Blue. 

South Blue is known for their tropical weather. Most of the western side of the region was dedicated to agriculture exporting a good percentage to the other regions especially to North Blue. The region was also well known for the beginnings of the automobile industry and the coasts was a hot spot for tourists. Unfortunately, most of the automobile industry left the region and went to Grand Line City where they were able to make a better profit. The West and East Blue has developed their own agriculture and South Blue was left at the mercy of relying on the North Blue and the capital city. 

South Blue had always kept stability in their economy doing fairly better than the East, but the last half a century has left the citizens in a worst state. Tourism was the only saving grace for the region, but it wasn't enough to improve it. Violence and petty crimes started to grow and they are now left in the state they are now. Angry, bitter, and mostly looking out for themselves. The World Government could only do so much before they had stopped funding areas that were in desperate need of help. And then Doflamingo showed up. 

He was the South Blue's beacon of hope. The man who would bring jobs back to the region. But Law doubt it was all done for Doflamingo's sense of _good faith_ in restoring humanity and helping those in need. From the moment he's noticed Kid's hesitation towards him, that had given Law incentive to learn more about him. He wanted to protect Eustass anyway that he could. He wasn't sure if that was something that was programmed into him or something he wanted to do himself. 

He had started to hack privately whenever Eustass had left for work. Anything and everything that he could find on what Doflamingo or as he is better known as Joker was up to, he recorded it. He had discovered that a new shipment of drugs were coming in soon. He wondered if there was a way to disrupt the route or find a way to stop it from being distributed. He was sure there was more than one shipment, but what worries him is what could he do with this information? Even he knew it was dangerous to do this alone. He needed someone to rely the information to. 

"Trafalgar Law." A man huffed out his name. 

Law looked up to face the Chief of Police. "Chief Smoker." It was rare for Law to get lost in thought. He had thought it was only something humans could do and always wondered how it was possible, yet here he was being interrupted while in the middle of processing his thoughts. 

The chief looked around before looking straight at him. "Eustass isn't around?" 

"He's at work." 

The Chief of Police, Chief Smoker. Law has also looked into him too. He still remembered how Smoker mentioned that he had kept an eye on Doflamingo. For that reason alone, gave Law enough incentive to research the man. Usually whenever Eustass was half asleep was when Law had questioned him about Smoker. During that time, Eustass didn't really care too much on the why as he answered whatever was asked. Smoker seemed to badger him when he was in high school to stop getting into fights. He was also the reason why Killer and him never landed in juvenile detention. 

"I've heard he's working for Doflamingo. Is that right?" 

"That is correct." 

Smoker scoffed as he pulled out two new cigars. "What have that boy gotten himself into now?" He lit them before taking a long drag, puffing out the smoke. "Anyways, I've never gotten an answer from you. What are you doing here in South Blue? It's clear to say you're not from here. I would've met you at one point." 

"I moved here from the North Blue." 

"So I've heard." Law felt like there was more to those words, but he didn't elaborate. "And you're living with Eustass?" 

"Yes." 

Smoker smirked. "Loosen up. I'm not after you or anything, I'm just curious on anyone new that moves here. It's my duty to protect the citizens that live here. That is all." 

"Kind of hard, when it sounds like an interrogation." 

Smoker scoffed. "I can see why that brat took a liking to you. Well, give him my regards." He said as he continued on walking. 

Law nodded slightly before stopping him. "Chief Smoker." This made him stop before he turned his head to look at the android. "The day when we first met, you said you were keeping an eye on Doflamingo?" 

This had made the chief face him. "And?" 

This was when he could sense his alarms going off inside of him. After realizing how sensitive any information about Joker was. He had created a program to prevent the information to be spoken of or even looked into through his back-up data. There were ways for Law to override the program to speak of it, but only if it had cleared all of Law's precautions. 

He could hear Penguin calling him in the distance and realized he didn't have much time to ponder if this could come back to bite him. A police officer was supposed to help the people, right? "If that's so… go to Warehouse Four near the docks in three days. You'll find something interesting there." With that Law turned around and ran towards Penguin. 

* * *

"Well I'd be damned." Smoker hadn't known whether to believe someone like Trafalgar or not. There wasn't much known about him besides whatever he was able to get out of him in the few minutes that they spoke, but he knew Eustass. The red haired was rough around the edges and tends to get into bad situations, but he never sense anything bad about him. He was often in the wrong place at the wrong time. Him and his friend. 

Of course, after Eustass had returned back from Mariejois University, he did hear the red haired had become much more angry and violent. Getting into street fights, yelling at people who had looked at him the wrong way. By then, he had risen in the ranks to Captain and he's heard enough from his officers about Eustass. Unfortunately, Smoker was handling other matters in a different part of South Blue to be able to check up on him as often as he did when he was just a simple Officer. 

He heard from the media, a male student by the name of Eustass Kid had punched St. Charlos, the son of the president of Mariejois. It was plastered on every news center, but as quickly as the news appeared, it was gone. Focused on the newest scandal. He wouldn't have given it a thought, that was just how the media ran, if he hadn't noticed that everything regarding the man was gone. Not a mention of his achievements or even the fight were archived on any newscast website or even the school for that matter. 

Even if Smoker didn't mention it, he was proud of Eustass. A citizen of South Blue being able to attend Mariejois University, the top school in the world. That had only happened once in a blue moon. Eventually the rest of the town seemed to have a more positive light about Eustass as he started gaining achievements. They had believed that if someone could do it, they could too. Of course once the fight came out on the media, that positive light had disappeared. It was just as he feared, that mentality that no one could succeed from South Blue returned. 

By the time he came back, the man had opened a car repair shop. He's ran into him a few times, but each time it was as if he had given up on himself. Eustass has become much more reserved. He wasn't able to do anything, not that anyone could do anything to help Eustass. The man looked broken for nearly a decade. That was until he ran into him again with Trafalgar and Doflamingo. 

He noticed the flare had return back in Eustass, he figured the man found someone and now he was better in a sense. He was curious about this new person. Trafalgar Law. He wasn't sure when he had arrived from North Blue, but he never questioned or looked into it further as he had other business to deal with nor did he have a legal motive to look into the man. 

"Chief Smoker," One of the officers stopped in front of him. "We've secured the perimeter. Twenty people were arrested. Unfortunately, we believed one of the key members have escaped. Some of our men are currently tracking him down." 

Smoker narrowed his eyes as he let out another puff of smoke. "Did you get a look at who it was?" 

"No chief, it was too dark to tell." 

He frowned as he looked around the warehouse. Boxes filled with Bliss, and not the happy kind. He wasn't sure how many other abandoned warehouses were used in the same fashion, but he'll make sure to crack down on this drug trade. He's had enough of his citizens dying from drug overdose. 

"Tashigi!" He yelled. 

A women with short blue hair ran towards the officer near him. "Yes, Chief Smoker?" 

He frowned, noticing that her glasses were on top of her head again. "Put on your glasses, Tashigi." 

She blinked looking at the officer before sliding her glasses on, a bit flustered. "Oh, you're not the chief." She turned directly to him. "Yes, Smoker?" 

"I need you to run a background check on someone." 

"Of course." She pulled out a notepad and pen. "Who is it?" 

"A man from the North Blue, Trafalgar Law." 


	15. Assimilate

As Kid was walking into Smile Corporation, he was feeling good. Of course, that could change whether Dellinger decided if he wanted to be an asshole or not. The weekend break had proven to help him relax and spend some time with Law. Something he didn't realize he desperately needed. He had suggested the two of them to take a walk around Gol Plaza, but to his surprise, Law denied the idea. He had thought the android was stir-crazy from being stuck in the house all week, but he had mentioned that Penguin often entertained him. The thought annoyed Kid a bit. Unfortunately, he really couldn't complain as he had left the android by himself due to work. 

Law had also given him a long lecture on the need for a break especially before he ends up burning himself out. He mentioned that Kid's fatigue had increased since he started working. He didn't disagree with the android, he knew how tired he was and was even happier at the fact that Law had shown concern, but he told him not to worry. It was only natural as he had to deal with a piece of shit plus the ever growing distress of whether they were going to get everything completed in time. Despite this, in the end, he still enjoyed the work he was doing. And being able to spend the weekend together with Law was the icing on the cake. 

_"Are you sure you don't want to go to Gol Plaza?" Kid asked peeking over Law's shoulder. The android was currently reading one of Penguin's old medical books; he flipped the page humming in response. Kid sighed as he lay back down on the bed. "I'm only free this weekend and you want to spend it with me resting."_

_He had wanted to go on a date with the android. It would be nice to have a real first date with Law, though he was starting to notice that the indirect route wasn't exactly working. That… or the android didn't quite understand the concept of a date. Seeing as most of his information was from movies, the internet and/or Penguin and Kid didn't own many or any romance movies in general. He could only assume what little the android actually knew of the subject._

_"It's good for your health." He flipped the page. "Are you expecting to be busy next weekend?"_

_"Most likely," Kid made a face of annoyance. "I've got a week to handle Dellinger and get the A.I. program ready for Baby 5. If we take any longer than that, we're not going to make the deadline."_

_Law looked up from his book to face Kid. "It's surprising to hear that from you. Worrying about a deadline."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_"Nothing..." Law turned back to his book. "I just find it surprising. You usually just get things done quickly at your own pace."_

_"I didn't have to worry about deadlines before, now I do, especially since I'm working with a team."_

_"Working with your friends wasn't working with a team?"_

_"It is..." Kid paused, frowning a bit like he was caught in a white lie. "It's different. I understand my friends. These guys... they're not entirely sane majority of the time."_

_Law smirked a bit. "Eustass-ya, you're not entirely sane yourself. You fell in love with a creation you made."_

_Eustass scowled as he sat up and just like instinct, he reached behind Law's head, pulling him forward to crush his mouth onto his. The immediate taste of metal hit Eustass before he pulled back. He smirked a bit when he was able to wipe off that smirk Law had. "You're right; I couldn't have been sane when I created you because you fell in love with me too."_

_Law blinked before scratching the side of his head, looking away. Kid raised a brow._ He couldn't be embarrassed, right? _But the thought of it made Kid smile as he brushed his finger against the android's cheek. "You know, I really should come up with a program to allow you to blush."_

_Law's expression immediately deadpanned. "Oh, I'm sorry I couldn't be like a blushing teenage girl for you."_

_"You've been hanging out with Penguin too much. You're starting to become snarky like him." Eustass rolled out of bed and headed towards his closet. "Come on, we're going out."_

_"Weren't you supposed to be resting?" Law asked as he closed the book._

_"Taking a quick walk around the block won't kill me."_

_"If I remember correctly, you got shot a while ago when you were walking home," Law spoke._

_Kid's brain mentally stopped for a second. It's like he forgot the android had perfect memory. "They were just mad that I made Wire and Heat trashed their hideout. Besides, I haven't seen those guys for a while now, so we should be fine. And isn't it also good to have fresh air as well?"_

_"Actually, the air here is quite polluted due to the factories."_

_Kid snorted as he changed his clothes. "Is there anything you don't know?"_

_Law paused, probably processing the thought. "I still don't know what goes on in your mind."_

_Kid paused in the middle of putting on his shirt as he turned towards the android. Law's face didn't show any teasing intent to the strange statement. It could've meant different things, both good and bad motives attached to them. He doubts the android had any bad motives towards him unless it was another one of Law's jokes. "Now, why would you want to know what's in my mind?" He asked as he tossed on his shirt._

_"It would save me a lot of trouble of trying to figure out what you will do next."_

_"And what exactly are you trying to figure out, Law?"_

_Law smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know, Eustass-ya?"_

_Even if he hated this snarky attitude, he found it attractive when Law had done it. The casual smirk that tugged on his lips had fit him. Though he hated the fact that Penguin has basically influenced him from the amount of time spent, however, he couldn't say he didn't hate the result. That bite that Law had in his personality was always there, lying low, but now, it was prominent. With this new change towards his personality, it brought forth Kid's own natural instincts and deep need within him to wipe that smirk off his face. He always did love a challenge. He didn't know what kind of 'figuring out' the android would do, but the thought of Law wanting to know what was on his mind made him smile._

_"Oh? You're not wearing your usual wardrobe?" Law asked._

_Eustass looked down at his simplistic clothes; jeans and a regular solid colored t-shirt. He hadn't realized what he was putting on before shrugging it off. "Nah, it's just a walk around here." He headed out with Law following after him._

_"Does that mean you're finally done with scaring kids?"_

_"Why does everyone around me have a need to be a smartass?" Kid asked rhetorically. Law only chuckled as he grabbed his hat on the way out of the house._

_While the two had their walk, Law was retelling an event at the car shop that he heard from Penguin. It was strange to hear a retelling of an event from a place he's owned and worked for years without actually witnessing it. And now just listening to the story was an odd sensation. Still, despite how interesting the story was, he was more focused on Law. The sound of his voice. The way his mouth moved. And the way their hands would occasionally brush against one another._

How did I do it last time? _Eustass pondered. Then again, it was easier that time as Eustass had a reason to hold Law's hand. He didn't want the android to get lost among the crowd. Now with the lack of crowds and the fact the two were walking around aimlessly, he couldn't find a reason to suddenly reach out. Was there a reason to want to hold his boyfriend's hand? He looked over to Law who was currently describing what Heat had done with the blowtorch. There was really no reason to worry, but he still wasn't sure why he was hoping Law wouldn't notice and they would just magically start holding hands._

_"Eustass-ya, I'm surprised you're not concerned."_

_It took Kid a second to realize the android had said something directly to him that required an answer. "About what?"_

_"Heat nearly set your car shop on fire."_

_"He did what?!" An immediate sense of panic rose in him before he noticed Law laughing. He stared at the android, almost paralyzed. He really liked the sound of his laughter. It was rich and full of life. He doesn't remember the last time he heard Law laughed, but he wanted to hear it again._

_"You weren't listening were you?" And he caught him red handed too. "The guys were bored so Heat decided to use the torch in attempts to make s'mores. Killer-ya had stopped them before they could set anything on fire."_

_As Law started to retell a different story, Eustass had noticed Law's hand wrapped around his. He smiled inwardly._ And he couldn't figure out what I was thinking about? _He moved his hand to intertwine their fingers. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Law's smile before continuing on._

He smiled at the memory as he swiped his badge and walked into the elevator. Of course, now that he was finally at work, he recognized this unnerving itch that was laying low all weekend. This unbearable need to work and complete Baby 5. It was a bad habit that came from his perfectionist side when it came to every project. He needed to complete everything that he started, but even after the project was long completed, he couldn't stop himself from tweaking it to ensure that it was faultless. The only difference now was that he had two other members and couldn't just solely make choices without discussing with the others. He was just glad both were extremely capable in the work they did. One who was on par with him in the mechanical section while the other teammate... it was hard to tell as they didn't get along from the moment he walked into the room. 

He has taken a peek at what Dellinger was working on and he couldn't say he was unsatisfied with the programs he created. They essentially did their job for any animatronic to move and the beginning of the program for speech was a good start to the direction in the direction they needed to go. What he had created was similar to what Eustass had worked on for an entire year at Mariejois, and Dellinger was able to create it in less than a month. Now that was a true show of Dellinger's skills. There were still many components missing that Kid had to handle such as facial expression and the artificial intelligence program; both of which were on his to-do list today. 

"Good morning Kid," Franky said without looking up as he was tinkering one of the elbow joints that kept getting caught in the android's long black hair. 

"Morning Franky," Kid replied, tossing his suit jacket onto one of the chairs. He loosens his tie before looking at Baby 5. 

She was starting to look more and more human each day Kid saw her. It was surreal to see how she had come together especially when she was all metal parts a few days ago. He hadn't expected to witness this again; creating another android. For him to be able to see the process of a pile of metal coming together and making a living android once more. After all, he was quite happy with Law. So the thought never crossed his mind to create another one. 

The last upgrade Franky made the night before had officially made this prototype the completed model, Baby 5. Anything else would be considered a small minor fix. He had anticipated more attempts than just five, but he was glad that the prototype was completed on schedule. They still had a little over two months to complete the training for Baby 5. Unfortunately, this would depend on the android herself on how quickly or slowly the process would go. 

Kid couldn't predict the outcome of whether the android would end up acting like Law or not. Similar to a newborn child, when the programs are inputted into the machine, they have the basic understanding how to move and talk. The A.I. Program would give the android room to grow their personality and allow them to have control to be able to develop into who they wanted to be, similar to a human. At least that's what Kid had predicted and hoped. 

"Oh, have you heard what happened last night in South Blue?" 

Kid raised a nonexistent brow when he heard his region's name. "No... What happened in South Blue?" 

"Do we need to buy you a newspaper subscription, Kiddie? Or are you one of those peoples that just don't give a damn about the world around them?" Dellinger mocked as he spun around in his chair. Kid instinctually clenched his fist together. "The Chief of Police discovered a warehouse full of Bliss near the docks. Apparently, he got an insider tip about it from what I heard." 

"No... I haven't heard about it. Did you hear where in South Blue?" Eustass asked. 

This time, Franky piped in. "It's wasn't that far from the city area. So the Baterilla Police Department probably handled it. Isn't that near you?" 

Now that shocked Kid. The Chief of Police for the Baterilla Police Department was none other than Chief Smoker himself. He knew Smoker has been after Joker for a while. He had promised the people during his inauguration that while he was the Chief, he would do whatever he could to get rid of Bliss from the city. The citizens were happy, but even Smoker knew the uphill battle that he had committed to. After all, he was going against one of the most powerful businessmen in the world. 

Any information regarding Joker was near impossible to obtain unless they were associated with the man themselves. He knew some of his high school friends who had gotten entangled with the drug, both in using and distributing. It was, after all, an effortless method to make a quick beli in a short amount of time and, at the same time, _feel good_ about themselves, even if it was momentarily. Alas, each and every one of them died from an overdose. He scoffed at them back then and he would've done the same thing now when they asked him and Killer to join in. 

He and Killer never got involved with Bliss, they left their 'friends' alone to their activities. He found it stupid to want momentary relief from the shithole they lived in. Getting a brief few hours of euphoria wasn't worth the possibility of death at the end of the line. But he still remembered vividly when one of his 'friends' shown up begging Kid to help him. He didn't understand, nor did he want to understand. He knew the rumors going around for anyone that got themselves involved with the drug. There was no way out, but death. Any actual information that involved Joker or Bliss would be carried to the grave with them. The man had a simple code of loyalty. So he could only wonder which idiot would risk their lives to leak information to the Police Chief himself. 

"I'm surprised you didn't know about it Kid since you're from there. It was all over the news this morning here in the capital." Franky mentioned. 

"Bliss is always in the news in South Blue; I usually end up disregarding it." The citizens of South Blue had become numb to anything regarding Bliss. Even Kid knew how immune he was about it. He's grown up knowing and witnessing it. Even now, if there was any mention of the drug, what was the reason to care? It was all the same; death by overdose. And usually by those who were completely shit out of luck. 

Besides, as soon as he got home, he was more inclined to spend time with Law than to catch up on the news where it was a 24/7 news fest of the bad, the horrible and the even worst things that were happening in a stranger's life. He had his own life to worry about than to worry about another's that he would never meet. 

Besides, now that he was getting used to the hours, he wanted to focus his attention on Law when he got home. Usually, the two discussed their days and end up watching whatever movie that was airing on TV. The only problem was he would end up sleeping half way through and Law would carry him to bed. As sweet as that was, it was also slightly embarrassing whenever Eustass thought about it. 

"What are you daydreaming about, Kiddie?" Dellinger asked when he realized Kid was no longer listening. 

Kid glared at Dellinger. He really hated that nickname. "What's it to you?" 

"So sensitive over a little daydream?" His grin quickly changed to a smirk. "Oh? Was it a dirty daydream, Kiddie? How naughty~," Dellinger teased. "And we're at work too." Kid growled as he tried to grab him, but the man was quick on his feet despite being in high heels. "Though, I can't really imagine anyone wanting to deal with your anger that can be compared to a bull. Does seeing red make you angry too? It must be hard when you look into a mirror." 

Before Kid could punch him, Franky held a hand up to stop Kid, while pulling Dellinger further away from the red haired. "Oi, calm down you two, is there a need to fight every day?" 

"It's hard when he's _so_ easy to mess with," Dellinger commented. 

"Well fuck you. At least I actually have someone to daydream about." 

Dellinger huffed. "And you don't think I have someone too? Ironically, he's a bit of an idiot," that damn smirk appeared on his lips again. "Just like you." 

Franky had let go of Dellinger and instantly held Kid back when he made a move to attack the small blond again. Dellinger cackled before waving and returning back to his computer to work. Within seconds, the sound of typing keys filled the room and the man was focused on his task once again. 

Kid growled in annoyance before ceasing his urge to jump him. He could only wonder how long it would take before he would pummel the blond in. They were small insults, Kid at least understood that, but he couldn't stop himself. It was almost inherent to attack anyone who dared try to belittle him. It was easier the first few weeks when Dellinger wasn't around as much, but now that he has completed his observation, the man was around every day. 

He didn't understand how Killer had this type of restraint; the will to not punch someone's face in. He was positive, if Franky wasn't here, Dellinger would have been long gone and no one would know about it. Though the thought pleased him, he still tried to keep a grip on reality. He needed this job and he needed to _keep_ it. Sadly, the task was starting to become harder and his willpower slowly withering as the weeks go by. 

"Will you two be okay starting tomorrow?" Franky asked as he was checking on Baby 5 for any last minute maintenance or fixes. 

"It's hard to tell." He was being honest. He didn't know where he will find the self-control to not murder the blond in cold blood nor does he know if the two of them will finish up all the programs required before Franky returned. Particularly due to the fact that neither worked well together. "Are you leaving tomorrow?" 

"Yup, the Oro Jackson is coming in tonight and we're going to start maintenance on it first thing tomorrow in the morning. The four Puffing trains are coming in one by one throughout the week too." Franky spoke as he started to fidget with the android's shoulder connection again. 

It was a last minute announcement that escaped Franky's mind. As Franky was a co-owner of Galley-La, he was in charge of many things that involved physical labor of the train. This included the bi-yearly maintenance of each train. He hadn't expected his presence was needed until he got a call from his brother. Turns out, it was a requirement for Franky to be there to supervise and help with the maintenance. To make up for his quick leave, he ended up putting in extra hours and spending most of the weekend on Baby 5's last minute upgrades. 

Of course, this meant for the entirety of the following week, he was left alone with Dellinger. He could only imagine what would happen before the week ended. With everything completed on Baby 5's end, the only thing left was to complete the programs to upload into her. It didn't sound too hard if Dellinger would cooperate with him. 

* * *

The following day was quiet as he walked into the lab. Dellinger was diligently typing away on the computer. The red haired placed his bag down by his computer, looking at the blond from the corner of his eye. It was a first to walk into a quiet work environment, yet strange, like he had accidentally walked into the wrong lab. 

He looked forward towards Baby 5, the android stood up right on a platform towards the back of the lab. Her eyes were closed like she was mimicking sleep. It had all felt normal before he frowned a bit at the outfit; a French maid outfit. Technically, it was appropriate for a café. However, it didn't stop this feeling of being a bit weirded out about it. He hadn't wanted to be a part of the decision on her appearance. He didn't know what girls liked or what they would wear. Surely a maid outfit wasn't on that list. Besides, he would've rather let Baby 5 choose on her own while he just focus on the programs that ran her. 

Of course those two, like always, ignored his suggestion. He wasn't surprised; all three of them were prideful people regarding their work. Areas where it didn't require an expertise, Kid had left it up to the two of them to fight it over. He had better things to do than figure out what style of hair would suit a girl. However, it did open his eyes to a realization that these two haven't comprehended yet. 

The artificial intelligence program was complex in how it worked. Hell, Kid hadn't realized the sheer possibilities that that program held until long after Law had fully developed it. And even then, there was still so much to explore with the program. An android is designed to obey whatever is told to them. When the A.I. program is uploaded, it gave them the ability to learn on their own and make their own choices. The endless possibilities an android could do on their own was limitless, yet those two haven't quite understood it. 

It does make Kid feel some sympathy towards Baby 5, but at the end of the day, she along with the rest of the team aren't going to be have the exact freedom that Law has. Most likely, they will be an employee to that café for the rest of their lives, especially if the café succeeds. And knowing Doflamingo's previous business decisions, it was hard to not see it succeeding. 

Kid started up the computer, listening to it boot up before directing his glance towards Dellinger. The man was fidgeting constantly, bouncing one of his legs with his eyes glued to the screen. "Which programs have you completed, Dellinger?" 

"Just look in the file," Dellinger spoke with an annoyance in his tone. 

Kid scoffed at his answer. He had expected some kind of sass from the younger male, but this kind of attitude along with it only angered him. Kid focused on something else as he logged into his computer and searched through the folder. His eyes quickly scanned each file's name. "Fine, which program are you currently working on then?" 

When Eustass didn't hear an answer, he turned his head towards Dellinger. He was glaring a hole into the screen, nearly breaking the keys on his keyboards. With an annoyed sigh, he truly wondered why did he even bother trying? He supposed it was easier to get an answer out of someone than attempt to guess what they did, but with Dellinger? _Seriously Franky, it's a miracle that you're actually able to talk to him._

Kid has always thought that simple chatter was a waste of time. Attempting to have an actual conversation with Dellinger was not only a waste of time; it soured his mood as well. Of course, looking for the changes Dellinger made was added to the list of things that wasted his time. 

He had planned to continue editing the emotions program he had transferred in yesterday. Though he had wanted to keep any current programs involving Law far from Baby 5, he hadn't wanted to go through the trouble of re-writing the entire program up to the current version. Doing it once was already enough work. He still didn't know if Doflamingo had wanted Law or the technology behind the android, but that didn't matter. The man will get his android. Just not Law. Right now Doflamingo is only a stepping stone to what Kid wanted: a foot back into this field again. Once he's acquired enough 'experience', he'll most likely try to find somewhere else to work permanently. 

Though as grand as all that is, he still had to focus on the task in front of him. Comparing the two programs side by side made him realized how many changes were done since Law was officially booted up; especially to the emotions program. The baseline of the codes were there, but the extra features such as the headache inducing, mind fuck of a program for the muscle structure within Law's face was something he never wanted to attempt to figure out again. 

What shocked him was when he ran a test and an error popped up. After closer inspection, he noticed a completely new program that he hadn't written. Sure, Law has done manual maintenance himself by updating the codes or creating new programs, but Kid would've heard about it. This, however, was created recently. At least it wasn't there when he last done maintenance on the android. And he doesn't remember Law mentioning anything about it. The program ran similar to a cause and effect situation that connects to another data file. Unfortunately, he didn't know which file. But he was more concerned on why Law would need such a program. 

As much as he would like to focus on that, right now, he was furrowing his brows as he was looking through Dellinger's codes. Kid will admit, he doesn't have perfect memory, definitely not anywhere close to Law's abilities, but he could at least tell if something was different. And with each program he pulled up, he could feel his blood boiling. 

"Dellinger!" He slammed his hand on the table. "What the fuck have you've been doing last week?!" He hadn't meant to get angry, but fuck; he was pissed at the blond's antics. They were already pushing the deadline. The programs needed to be completed before Franky returned. It shouldn't be a hard task. If anything, the basic programs should've been completed within the first week if Dellinger had actually copy and pasted Law's old programs into Baby 5's. The rest of the time was supposed to be spent removing which program wasn't needed and adding what was. He would also have to create the programs from the information he had taken down from his observations. It shouldn't be that hard being the so-called genius he was. And yet, here they were, trying to get everything completed within a week's time. 

Dellinger stayed silent as he continued working, ignoring Kid's outburst. His brows furrowed as he continues to slam his fingers into the keyboard only to delete it moments later. He ran his hands through his hair, glaring at the screen. 

"Goddamn it Dellinger, just use my fucking references so we don't have to wait a year for you to finish." 

"Shut up! I'll figure it out!" Dellinger yelled back forgoing his usually effeminate voice. 

"Figure what out? It's already figured out! We could be spending our time doing something more productive than trying to recreate the fucking wheel again. If you're such a fucking genius, then get it through your thick skull that you're wasting time right now." 

This seemed to get the blond's attention as he looked away from the computer. There was a hint of red in his eyes as he turned towards Kid. "You make one android and all of a sudden you're an expert now?" 

"I made hundreds of prototypes because I had to work towards it unlike you. An over privileged bastard who basically got everything the moment you got that scholarship." 

Eustass hadn't noticed but Dellinger grabbed his collar with this menacing look. His usual dark eyes was fully red now. "Don't act like you know me, Eustass." 

Eustass snarled. "Then don't pretend to know me either." 

Dellinger kicked him towards one of the machinery. Eustass groaned a bit when he crashed against the corner. He didn't have a chance to blink before Dellinger was in front of him landing another kick, sending him towards the wall. "The rags to riches story of a South Blue citizen that cheated his way into Mariejois University only to get kicked out because he punched the one person that shouldn't be bothered. There's no need to pretend, we all know the story. Everyone on this planet knows of you and what you did." 

Eustass had looked towards the blond before getting up. This immediate anger started to burst as he ran towards the blond punching him in the jaw. The small body flung through the air crashing into the chairs. "You know nothing about me, you over privileged piece of shit!" He approached the blond before he could get up and grabbed him by his shirt, holding him up. "You. The media. The entire fucking world knows nothing about me!" He growled. "What do you know? Huh?! You, who basically had everything for you work exactly the way you wanted since the beginning." 

Dellinger scowled at the red haired as he tried to pry Kid's hands off his shirt. "If that's what you think, then you're stupider than I thought you were." He used Kid's arm and swung himself to kick Kid in the head. At the sudden impact, Kid let go of Dellinger, holding onto his head. He checked noticing a bit of blood on his hand. He pressed against the wound, hoping it wouldn't be bad. 

"You think everything was laid out for me? What a fucking joke." Dellinger started as he wiped the blood from his lip. "There's a difference between you and me. You can make the biggest mistake ever, get kicked out of Mariejois, and be ridiculed by the media and this entire heartless world. But at the end of the day, you will never be mocked for who you are." 

When Eustass had tried to protest, Dellinger held a hand up. "Ah, ah. I've been wanting to say this to you for a _long_ time. Don't you dare try to interrupt me. I will kick you out that window." Kid frowned but decided not to say anything, curious on where he was going. "You're working at Smile Corporation; one of the best companies on this planet. Working on a special project that Doffy specifically chose you for. If I were to make a mistake? I am done. Finished in this city. And the very man that helped me and you, your people curse and yell at. And it's easy to tell that anger also resides in you. Your chief of police is going after him for what? Some conspiracy theory that Doflamingo started Bliss in South Blue? What a load of bullshit. He helped your dumb asses and you guys can't even appreciate it?" 

Before he could retort, Eustass and Dellinger immediately froze in place. He could hear the doors swishing against each other and sense this immense feeling of danger. Even from the adrenaline of the fight, he felt on edge like he's about to be hunted and killed. He tilted his head seeing the pink feathered coat. Doflamingo himself was standing in front of the doors. 

"Now, now. We wouldn't want all of our hard work to be destroyed over something petty." Doflamingo spoke as he walked towards them. Despite the usual grin, his tone was angry. No, he sounded furious, like a ticking time bomb just ready to explode. Eustass has never seen him like that. There was this overpowering fear exuding from him. Just a single glance had frozen them to their spots. "Dellinger, remember, we don't have much time to waste. There are only two more months before the press conference and I need the android to be perfect by then." 

Eustass immediately noticed the fear that had replaced the anger Dellinger once held, the blond looked pale like he's seen the devil himself. He flinched when Doflamingo spoke to him. It took a few seconds before the blond had turned to look at the massive man before him. 

"I know Doffy, but I-" Dellinger had immediately stop when he noticed a vein pop from his forehead. His eyes instinctively looked away; afraid to continue. 

"Do not disappoint me, Dellinger." Doflamingo then turned towards Eustass. "How is the android coming along?" 

It had taken Eustass a few seconds before responding. His nerves were getting the better of him. And he hated it. "Baby 5's model is completed. We're planning to complete the programs by the time Franky returns so she can start training." Eustass updated Doflamingo on the situation. 

"Good." 

When he turned to leave, Eustass let out a breath that he didn't know he held. It was a strange sensation for him. He looked down noticing his fingers still shaking a bit. He's never been afraid of anything. There was no reason to be, that's what he believed, but within the last few minutes, he honestly thought his fight or flight instinct would've taken off and he would be half way back to South Blue. 

Doflamingo paused as he was about to leave the room. "Oh, Eustass, I've been meaning to ask. How is your android doing? Law, right? He must be bored without you around." 

Eustass raised a non-existent brow at this. _Why would Doflamingo suddenly bring Law up_? The fear that had constricted him seemed to have lifted as he frowned a bit, looking at Doflamingo. "He's fine. He's been spending time with a friend. What's it to you?" 

Doflamingo smirked. "I see..." With that, he left through the double doors. 

Once Doflamingo was gone, the tension in the air was stagnant, but it was clear there wasn't a need to continue their argument. Eustass has looked over to the shorter male. His dark eyes were boring a hole into the ground. He stood like that for a few minutes like a kid who's gotten in trouble with their parents. The red haired wasn't sure if he was obligated to say anything to him; not that he wanted to. He was still pissed at the man. Before he could decide to say anything, Dellinger walked back to his computer almost robotically. The blond hadn't spoken a word, but Eustass could see that he was deleting some of the codes that were in front of him before slowly starting to type away at the keyboard. 

There were still some things that he had wanted to tell Dellinger. Many of which were corrections on his statements, but even he could tell this was not the right time to continue their fight. Eustass left to take care of his head injury before returning back to work. The blond never uttered another word throughout the day. Even when Eustass was about to leave, Dellinger's eyes were glued to his screen, his hands typing at a snail's pace. 

That night when he returned home, Law had inspected his head injury, noting that it was a small wound and had wished he gotten a worse injury so he could try his hand at stitching. Kid could only appreciate the android's dark humor, though he still wasn't entirely sure if it was really his dark humor or if it was something he had actually wished. 

As they were cleaning up dinner, he pondered about Doflamingo. It was strange for him to mention Law. He had expected the businessman to not care about anything involving Law. Of course, Kid, himself, also took precautions to ensure that the two wouldn't cross paths. Still. What was the interest in Law when he was going to get an android for his café? Was the man actually interested in Law himself? 

There was also another question that still bothered him. What exactly does Law do while he was gone? Kid usually took whatever word the android said and that was the end of that. But for Doflamingo to mention it, he could only wonder what significance it had held. And then those extra programs he had saw. What exactly were those programs needed for? 

Once dinner was cleaned up, Kid was sitting on the couch, his back towards Law as the android inspected the bruises. He could feel the cold fingers brush against them gently. He had mentioned that it was starting to turn a dark greenish-yellow before checking if it had hurt. It didn't, but it probably will in a day or so. 

"Hey Law, what did you do today?" Kid asked, out of curiosity. The two most common answers that he had gotten from him were going out with Penguin or staying home and researching something on the computer. Recently, it appears that the latter was the common answer, but Law did mentioned he had talked to Penguin over the phone every day while Penguin was waiting for Killer. 

"Research." He responded. 

"Was Penguin busy?" 

"He has work Eustass-ya. I don't think his boyfriend would appreciate me dragging him away from his job." 

_Sounds like a usual answer._ "So what do you two talk about?" 

Law seemed to pause a bit before answering. "About how horrible our boyfriends can be. And their annoying habits." 

Kid turned around ready to retort before noticing the smirk on his lips. He smirked a bit. "And which habit were you specifically bashing about?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" 

_This little shit._

"However, this week we were discussing Shachi's attempt to flirt with one of the nurses." 

"It didn't work?" 

"Does getting slapped, being ignored and the constant rolling eyes count as doesn't work?" 

"Usually." 

"Then it didn't work. Penguin blames his cheesy pick up lines." 

Though Kid didn't know Shachi very well, he's heard enough stories about the man to feel like he did. But that's not what he was curious about. "So what are you researching now?" 

"I've been researching about South Blue." 

He turned his head towards the android. "Have you ran out of things to research or are you actually interested?" 

"A little bit of both," Law replied. "It's interesting, to say the least. I figured it would be helpful to know the history of the region." 

"If anything, you should research on North Blue too. Since you're supposedly from there." Law hummed in agreement before sitting back on the couch, satisfied with his inspection. 

Eustass fixed his shirt before leaning back as well. "Hey Law, you wouldn't have happened to run into Doflamingo the last time you were out with Penguin, have you?" Eustass asked before he could take this words back. 

This made Law looked at him in surprise, raising a brow at the red haired. "No? It's been a few days since we last hung out, but I did not see Doflamingo during that time. If anything, wouldn't you see him more than I would?" 

_Well so much for trying to be subtle._ Eustass scratched the back of his head. "Yea, I guess so..." 

He still didn't know what Doflamingo's angle on the question was, but as long as Law wasn't near him, it had at least lessened his worry. They had spent the rest of the day talking about Eustass' day with Dellinger. Law had found the small blond amusing each time he heard about him. He figured Law could only say that as he didn't need to deal with the brat himself. Law had mentioned that Kid and Dellinger had appeared to be very similar to one another. He wasn't sure where the android had based that statement on, but Eustass called bullshit on that before the two headed to bed. 

* * *

The next few days, it was silent whenever Eustass walked in. After their fight, a security camera was installed in their lab for reasons of 'not wanting a second fight to occur again' that could result in a high chance of them breaking Baby 5 during that fight. Eustass didn't really pay much mind; the lab had a huge glass display window that anyone could look into at any time. It wasn't like privacy was a thing at work. If anything, after thinking it over, Eustass was just glad he didn't get fired for fighting with another employee. 

Still, the hushed environment was getting to him. At first, he had appreciated the much needed silence to concentrate on his work. He was able to edit and link up all the completed programs to the A.I. program on his end. Now all he had left was to wait for Dellinger to be completed on his end. Unfortunately, the blond never muttered a word since Doflamingo's appearance. As such, he never knew which programs were completed. 

This was the third day of silence, the sounds of their keyboards echoed in the room. The smallest of sounds were amplified by the quiet. And it was starting to annoy Eustass. At this point, he really wouldn't mind getting into another fight with him if it meant that this never-ending silence could cease. Even when it was time for Eustass to leave, Dellinger only sat there silently pushing out code after code. The only time he had moved was for food or a bathroom break. Otherwise, he stayed and stared at the computer in front of him. 

Whenever Dellinger left the room, curiosity got the better of him and Eustass would peek at what the blond had done. It was hard not to be impressed with the work. His genius title wasn't just a label after all. Dellinger was able to simplify and improve Kid's own work. Some of the approaches he's done weren't something Eustass had even considered. He had appreciated the complexity of the codes and would love to discuss more on his approach. 

But there was also this itching feeling of wanting to actually talk to Dellinger. After the few days, he's gotten over his anger towards Dellinger's comments. Mainly due to the multitude of unanswered questions that came to the surface as he pondered over their argument and that he was becoming more curious rather than staying angry. 

"Hey." Kid started as he looked over to Dellinger. 

Dellinger hadn't responded as he was scanning through the codes, using the mouse to scroll down the page. Kid frowned, mildly annoyed as he tried again. The blond continued on working as if he hasn't heard the red haired. Kid resisted his urge to toss something at him just to get his attention. He always did hated starting conversations. Especially with people he didn't really give a shit about. 

"During your rant, what did you mean by all of that?" 

Dellinger hadn't bothered looking at him as he continued to work. "What's it to you? Did I kick you so hard that you're delusional of us being friends?" His effeminate voice had returned, but it was cold. There was no longer a hint of mockery like before. Not that it would make the circumstance any better. 

"Just making conversation." 

"Well, you suck at it." 

Now Eustass really had to resist his urge to grab the keyboard by his hand and slamming it over this brat. He knew this was a bad idea, but there were still a lot of loose ends on what Dellinger had talked about. And this amount of silence was eating at him. He's gotten to the point where his curiosity was driving him to try to push for an answer. "I'm just curious. I've already figured Doflamingo is important to you, but I don't get why you didn't join Smile Corporation?" 

Dellinger finally turned towards him with this annoyed expression with the conversation. "Does this even matter to you?" 

"I told you, I'm curious." 

"And apparently have nothing better to do than pry into another person's life. Weren't you the one that said that we shouldn't be wasting any more time?" 

Eustass narrowed his eyes. "Unlike you, I've finished everything on my end. I've been waiting for you to complete your shit, but you wouldn't even tell me which ones are completed to connect to the AI program." 

Dellinger scowled as he muttered curses before rapidly creating a folder to drop any program that were completed. "There, happy?" 

"Thrilled." Eustass said dryly as he spun around to look through the folder. Most of which he already seen from his constant peeking. He started to link them up to the A.I. program expecting the day to end in silence once again. _Maybe I can leave early today, I'm sure Law would be happy._ He was about to allow himself to focus fully on working to finish early. That was until Dellinger started speaking again. 

"Were you that bored, Kiddie? Or are you genuinely curious about me?" 

"A little bit of both." 

"Even as a grown man, you still need entertainment like a child, how pathetic." Eustass could feel the need to punch Dellinger again as the blond snicker. What he didn't expect was Dellinger to cease typing and turned towards him. "Fine, I'll amuse you since that pervert isn't around. It's not like it's a mystery. I wanted to prove to everyone that I didn't need to ride on Doffy's success to be successful myself. It's as simple as that." Eustass raised a brow towards him. "You don't seem impressed, Kiddie." 

"It cannot be that simple." 

He hummed. "What about you then? You were at the top of your game in Mariejois. You won multiple awards and what voted most likely to succeed?" Eustass wasn't pleased with the joke, but Dellinger continued. "And you disappear for nearly a decade because of a fight?" 

"You should know the power Mariejois held. Even if I wanted to do something within the field, I didn't exactly graduate. Nor would they even consider my experience." 

For a split second, it seemed like the statement had set off a lightbulb in Dellinger's mind as he had this thoughtful expression, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Well, you were able to figure out an A.I. program that nearly turns a robot into a human from what I heard. So I guess it couldn't have been a fluke that a complete brute like you made it into Mariejois University." 

Eustass stared at the smaller male, almost shocked that he had given him a compliment. 

"Well Mariejois University is as powerful as they are racist. Oh! I wasn't supposed to say that." But the grin on Dellinger's face said otherwise. 

"Wait, what?" Now this was news to Eustass as he looked at the blond astonished at the statement. 

"You didn't know, Kiddie? They don't accept anyone with any trace of fishmen blood." 

There was this very known theory within biology that all humans have evolved from primates over billions of years ago through evolution. However, there was another theory that there was a race of fishmen that had evolved from sea creatures in the exact same matter. That at one point in time, there were people with gills and webbed hands and feet that lived underwater. Mermaids and mermen were even a thing. Of course, nowadays, most people would consider it a myth, but scientists have found evidence to prove the theory true. People who have fishmen blood tend to have a different skin color compared to someone without. There wasn't any difference between the two as evolution has left them to having the same feature as any other human. 

"And before you ask, I do have fishmen blood in me." 

Kid looked closer at his skin. "You look normal, though." 

"I got lucky, if you can even call it that." Dellinger shrugged it off as insignificant. "Anyways, people with fishmen blood are much more common in the New World than on this side of the world. So I stayed on Fishmen Island, stayed local for school and decided to work for Sun Inc. whose CEO happens to have fishmen blood too. I do come to the Grand Line side every so often for projects that Doffy request of me." 

Eustass scoffed. "You don't want to ride on the man's success and yet you're still technically working for him." 

"I am not." 

"You practically know everyone here." 

Dellinger stuck out his tongue like the mature adult he is. "Just because I like to socialize does not mean I am an employee here. I owe Doffy that much at least. Besides, at the end of the day, I can't help, but admire the man and his accomplishments. Even though Doffy is a Mariejois alumni, he's not like those bastards. Doffy doesn't care who you are or what you did, he only cares about the skills you have. You should know that best, Kiddie." 

* * *

The following days, there was this understanding between the two men. They continued on this 'questions game' Dellinger had suggested on a whim. It was surprising that Dellinger had answered any questions that Kid had asked. But what was even more shocking was that Kid had responded back to each of his questions without many problems. Of course, it didn't mean that the bickering had ended. If anything, he could feel that the shorter blond was annoying him more often just for the sake of getting a reaction out of him. The worst part; he kept falling for it, but it didn't stop their ongoing Q &A session. If anything, the endless amount of questions that were being thrown back and forth left Kid with some kind of understanding of Dellinger. And it feels like the feeling was mutual. 

"Did you join Sun Inc. because it's a fishmen run corporation?" 

"Guilty," Dellinger said, when he noticed Eustass' surprised expression. "Well, what did you expect? I was barely 18 when I graduated, heard the horror stories that goes along with having fishmen blood since I was born. I figured, better safe than sorry." 

Kid smirked. "So the genius programmer is actually scared." 

Dellinger kicked his chair. "Shut up. Sun Inc. is a widely respected company too. I wouldn't have joined if they weren't at least decently known." 

The smirk didn't leave Kid's face. "But you have normal skin." 

"People give you weird looks if you say you're from Fishmen Island. They usually assume anyone from there has fishmen blood." 

Eustass only nodded in acknowledgement. "What other companies were you looking at?" 

"I had considered Smile Corporation as a back up if none of the other companies worked out. The only important company on Fishmen Island is Sun Inc. and that famous candy business. If Sun Inc. didn't work out, then I'd probably have moved to Grand Line City or find something in Dressrosa since it's not that far." Dellinger mused over the answer before asking his own question. "Why did you choose Mariejois?" 

"They're the best school out there. What's more to ask? If you graduate from there, you're set for life." Kid said. 

"I've heard about their curriculum, but I always wondered, what if there was a graduate from the school that didn't amount to what Mariejois was looking for. What would happen then?" 

Kid shrugged. "Never thought of it, but I highly doubt it. With the way that Mariejois enforced competition and the constant media exposure. There's no way anyone wouldn't know of them." 

"Still," Dellinger started. "It would be funny. But I suppose if even Charlos can get a job after cheating his way out of college with that type of attitude, then anyone with a Mariejois degree must be golden." 

Eustass scowled at the name. "The world is a pushover to those in power." 

Dellinger hummed happily. "But even those in power can be knocked down with enough leverage." Eustass raised a brow at his statement, but before he could question the blond. Dellinger changed the subject. "If only I could see the anger when you beat him at his own game. I wished I could've seen that fight." 

"Have you met the man? He's not that hard to piss off." 

"Oh, I had the lovely pleasure of meeting the man face to face. Doffy tends to like to bring those who were chosen by him to get first hand experience at his company. So I met the spoiled jackass when I came to visit. " He rolled his eyes. "And you called me overprivileged? That asshole's picture is probably next to the definition." 

Kid chuckled almost relieved at the fact that Dellinger wouldn't readied bowed down to those in power as he thought he would. "I wouldn't peg you as one to be defiant against those in power with the way you act with Doflamingo." 

He huffed. "Doffy is a special case. I'll gladly knock anyone down who can't back their words with their work." 

Kid felt this sense of pride from the man's words before considering it. "Wait, is this why you were an ass to me?" 

"Kyahaha!" He grinned widely. "With the rumors swirling around you, can't help it. Blame the media if you must." 

"You asshole! Learn how to fact check!" 

Dellinger hummed happily, pushing against the table for his chair to move away from Kid's reach. "Now, now Kiddie, we wouldn't want security to come in. Besides, what was I supposed to think when all I had was the media's facts and the fact that you stupidly punched St. Charlos?" 

He hated the fact that he made a point, but it still pissed him off. "Whatever." He turned towards his computer to finish up the final things on the A.I. Program. They were so close to being done. But at the rate they were going, it was likely that everything could be complete by the end of the day. 

Despite their usual disputes, it was a weird feeling that they were actually working together. It feels almost foreign to Kid to have someone almost on par with his knowledge. Possibly more knowledgeable in areas that he hasn't even thought of. Not counting Law for obvious reasons, but it was nice. Dellinger, much like he, was ambitious in his work. The man seemed to pick up whatever Kid had stated exceptionally quickly or had already knew what he was going to suggest when the two looked at each other work. 

He was constantly fascinated by Dellinger's thought process when it came to his work. Though he didn't want to admit it, him being called a prodigy didn't compare to the way that Dellinger was deemed a genius. Because with the work in front of him, he couldn't think of a better word to describe the man. Of course, that didn't stop him from being an annoying little fuck. 

Like right now. 

Eustass could feel Dellinger peeking over his shoulder to peek at what the red haired was doing. He continued to look at his screen in attempts to ignore himself so he could finish his work, but he could hear the blond muttering something incoherent. He could feel his brow twitching before swinging around. "What?!" 

"That's inefficient," Dellinger spoke as he continued to stare at the screen. 

"What?" Now confused, he looked at the screen to determine what Dellinger had meant. 

"What's this program supposed to do?" 

"It's the Speech Program, I'm checking it over one last time before connecting it to the A.I. Program." 

Dellinger hummed, tapping his finger on the tip of his lips. "Move it," he pushed Eustass out of the way to allow his fingers to start flying across the keyboard. 

The red haired was slightly baffled when he nearly fell out of his chair before looking at the short male. "What are you doing?" 

Dellinger didn't respond, his eyes glued to the screen until the final stroke of the key. "I told you, this is inefficient. So I'm making it better." He did a quick scan over what was written, before smiling satisfied with his work. "I know we joked about Baby 5 being a baby and what not, but she will literally be a baby if we input this into her. How long did it take for your android to talk properly?" 

"A week?" Uncertain with his answer. "Law was able to speak in full sentences the moment he was turned on, but it did take him a while before he understood everything that was spoken to him." 

Dellinger appeared to muse over the answer. "Though so. Oh, what's your android's name again? I don't think you've ever told us." 

"Trafalgar Law." 

Dellinger snickered a bit. "So giving bad names does runs in your family?" He teased. "Good thing we didn't put you in charge of names." Kid glared, but Dellinger interrupted him before he could say anything. "Though that pervert wasn't any better, so at least you're not alone..." 

"As if you could come up with a better name." 

"Don't have to. Doffy is going to choose the name at the end of the day anyways. What's the point of giving a stand-in name? Anyways, this program here, is this the current one you're using in Law?" 

"No, it's what I originally inputted into Law. If we were to put the A.I. program that's used in Law, there's a good chance Baby 5 will act exactly like him." And he wasn't going to risk that. "So I figured, start from the beginning and go from there." 

Dellinger hummed with a smile, like he was contemplating if it was a good idea or not. "That would be funny..." He turned his attention to the coding on the screen. "But I think I can figure something out with this. We still have to train her in the food industry and you said that took time correct?" 

"We would need to bring Baby 5 to the Baratie to be able for her to properly see what to do. Usually they're able to mimic things by seeing it once, but it's best for them to observe different scenarios so they are able to obtain a wider range of what could happen. Just like a human." 

"Unfortunately, we don't have a week for speech training if she needs to learn every aspect of the restaurant business. Plus, we have until Franky returns to complete the A.I. Program. And that's only two days away." 

Kid frowned a bit, running his fingers though his red hair. "Even if I were to copy and paste the Speech Program from Law to Baby 5, that doesn't guarantee anything." 

"And that's why you have me." Eustass looked at him a bit perplexed at his statement. Dellinger looked slightly displeased. "What do you think I've been doing with the data you gave me?" 

Eustass stared at the younger male before realizing that Dellinger has been able to find ways to shorten his codes to make it more cleaner and efficient. With his edits, it was now easier to find any bugs that many appear. 

"It might take all weekend, but I'm sure we can upgrade the A.I. Program to have it ready without the need of speech training." 

"Can you?" 

"Of course. I'm a _genius_ after all. All I need is the right material and a capable brain to work with." 

His last statement left him a bit astonished. "What?" 

"I can show you how I got there if you want, but it might take all weekend seeing as your brain can't process things as fast as I can." 

"Fuck you, Dellinger." But there was a bit of hesitation at what this entails. He would be using part of Law's current programming to use for Doflamingo. But he also didn't want to miss an opportunity to learn how Dellinger came to those codes that he created. _Well, if it's only a small part, it couldn't hurt, right?_ Eustass concluded. "Sure, I'll have it in tomorrow." 

* * *

Franky let out a low whistle as he walked into the lab. "The lab is still intact and Baby 5 is unharmed, I'm so proud of you two!" 

Kid and Dellinger looked at one each other, almost like there was a mutual agreement before Dellinger grinned. "It wasn't hard once Kiddie learned patience and anger management." 

Kid snorted, rolling his eyes. "Says the brat who didn't realized that we could've been finished _weeks_ ago if you had just used my references. Some genius you are." 

Franky interrupted them before they could continue. "Never mind I said anything. Is the A.I. Program completed?" 

Kid grinned. "It is. Baby 5 is ready to start up." 


	16. Lapse

He hasn't figured out when he had started, but for some odd reason, he couldn't find the will to stop himself. He had left the house for the first time by himself to meet up with Penguin. Though Penguin looked concerned, he seemed fine as long as Law got home safely. After that, it was a weird sensation for Law, he _wanted_ to go out and explore on his own no matter what. Of course, if he had told Eustass, there was a good chance the man would likely find a way to make sure he didn't leave. Figuring that the man didn't need to know as long as it wasn't hurting anyone, he withheld from saying anything and made sure he returned back before Eustass would return home. There was a little bit of guilt for not telling Eustass the entire truth when the two sat down to talk about their day, but he didn't see anything wrong with wanting to walk around the neighborhood. 

However, most of his guilt was currently going into the fact that Eustass clearly wanted to go on a date into Gol Plaza. He wasn't sure why he wanted to go there of all places, but it made Law smile inwardly at how obvious Eustass was being without calling it a date. Sadly, Law kept up his façade and continued to play dumb, keeping his eyes on the book that Penguin had loan to him. 

He would've enjoyed going out to Gol Plaza again with Eustass again. Walking around, talking about useless things, and spending time with one another. He could only imagine where Eustass would want to go with him. Unfortunately, he remembered a small detail that Chief Smoker often patrolled around the plaza. He didn't want to run into the risk of him mentioning anything regarding the information he's given him while Eustass was around. 

He may have been interpreting too much from what he saw in a movie a television show, but it was his only source aside from what he could find on the internet. After all, it was only a matter of time before Smoker actually showed up at the house to question him further. He's given away crucial information that may have connected him to Bliss directly to the Chief Police. After analyzing his decision later on while taking into consideration of the moment and any other options he could develop. He realized, he may have jumped the gun on telling Chief Smoker. 

Despite that it was considered the right thing to do, he has effectively connected himself to Bliss. Just by simply telling important information to the police. But that wasn't the only problem. Law was not human and was not registered as such anywhere in the world. He didn't know how closely the police television show he was watching could relate to a real police investigation, but it always felt like they could find anything on anyone if they had a reason to. Then there was the other problem, where he got his information. It's safe to say that this was something to never mention to a police officer. 

It was a weird feeling, making a mistake. An android with a built in artificial intelligence making a mistake. Or a better way to put it, an ill-informed, in the moment decision on his part. Now that he was in this situation, he had to keep whatever important information close to him to prevent another slip up. And to do that, Law created multiple programs to help counteract what he did. He upgraded the security on who he would tell and created an active deletion of the Bliss knowledge should it come to that point where he had to remove any and all knowledge of what he knew. He even went as far as to edit the back up data during each maintenance. It would still work properly, but it wouldn't transfer anything in the Joker folder. But there was another crucial program that he absolutely had to devise: neutralizing his emotions. 

It was a strange program, but Law knew it would come in handy. A program to override any emotions that he may be feeling. This will force a neutral poker face to take place until Law decided to deactivate it. It was weird developing this program. After all, Eustass had spent so much time to give him the ability to emote and here he was creating a program to counteract it temporarily. He may have gone too far with this program, but he understood the dangers of the knowledge he knew. He wasn't going to allow himself to make another mistake. 

He had to test it, how quickly he could activate it, how quickly it would be deactivated. Unfortunately, with no one, but Eustass to actually see him; he's done just that. Test it on Eustass during their conversation regarding the date. It seemed to work well enough and turning the program on and off was quite easy. 

A new week has started, Eustass was at work and had vaguely mentioned that he may be late if Dellinger isn't cooperative. Law just nodded and gave his 'goodbye' as he left. His to-do list that day was to work on his own maintenance in the morning, take a walk before noon and continue on researching or editing his programs until Penguin calls. By the time the call ended, Eustass would usually come home soon after. 

_I've also got to figure out what to do about dinner._ Law thought. As he was heading towards the basement, he stopped to look out of the window. He's been doing this more often, like paranoia; anticipation even. At this point, he's just waiting for Smoker to show up. Or another police officer perhaps? 

He shook his head of the thoughts as he continued to the basement to work on his maintenance. First thing on his list to do was to back up his data. Once that was completed, he would take his time to clean his circuitry as he pondered how wise it would be to take a walk today. The Chief of Police could stop him while he was walking and that could also be another issue. However, at the same time, Law didn't like having something external prevent him from doing something he wanted. 

Before he could even take a step down the stairs; there was a knocking at the door. With a frown, Law checked to make sure he looked presentable or better yet; looked human. He sighed with an annoyance. He was built to _be_ human. How would he not look human? 

As he passed by a window, he noticed a silver car parked in the driveway. And unless Eustass had decided to splurge on a car within the last few hours, he had a clear guess on who it was. He started up some of the newly created programs as he opened the door to see none other than the Chief of Police himself. He raised a brow, noticing the casual clothing that the man was wearing compared to the police uniform. And though there was a row of cigars along his vest, he wasn't smoking, which was something Law had grown accustomed to seeing the Chief do. 

"Trafalgar Law. I need to speak to you about the information you gave me." 

Law folded his arms as he looked at the white haired man. "And if I refuse?" 

"I'll bring you down to the station and we can turn this into an interrogation instead. So I suggest we sit down and talk like two citizens." 

Inwardly, Law was absolutely furious at the fact that telling the Chief of Police crucial information could possibly lead him into a worst situation than anticipated. However, his annoyance wasn't just aimed to himself, but also to Chief Smoker as well. He was glad that his neutral expression held. "It's no wonder the Bliss situation isn't solved yet. If this is how you show your thanks for information given to you, no one would want to give any information to the police department." Smoker narrowed his eyes. "I'm merely stating the facts that I'm witnessing now." 

He noticed the twang of irritation cross him. "As I've asked you nicely before." His was tone turning stiff. "I need to speak to you about the information you gave me. May I come in? I'd rather talk about this in private." 

Law had attempted to find some type of excuse, but these types of situations required some type of quick response. They were too quick for him to completely analyze a cause and effect of a situation. Just like last time. And that had severely annoyed him. "Fine." Allowing the Chief in and shutting the door closed. 

His mind was processing while Smoker had looked around the interior out of curiosity. Though he had full confidence in the programs he had created, he still had his doubts of putting them into practice. Sure, using Eustass as a _test dummy_ was fine, but he wasn't asking the specific questions that these programs were meant for. Now that Smoker was here and Law was perfectly sure the man will be asking those questions, he could only hope that what was written out in theory will be just as successful in practice. 

"Out of curiosity, why are you not in your uniform?" 

"No other reason besides that I'm off the clock right now and that I have a feeling that you're uncomfortable with police officers." 

Law wasn't sure what to make with that statement or how the thought process of wearing casual clothing would ease a person. Though Law didn't feel uncomfortable, he did feel on edge with Smoker being here specifically. He only nodded in acknowledgement before heading towards the living room. 

Once they sat down, Law waited for Smoker to speak. He watched the chief as closely as Smoker was observing him. He was shorter than Law by a few centimeters. Wide, broad shoulders; muscular from the way that his shirt tightened against him, similar to Eustass in a way. Pure white hair, though the man himself did not appear old enough to start greying. A smoker, ironic with his name. He was updating his information on Smoker only pausing when the man spoke. 

"I'll start with this. I don't know if you're apart of Joker and trying to escape using Eustass or if you're just a random citizen who-" 

"I am not using Eustass-ya in any way." Law interrupted feeling offended at the assumption. "He doesn't know anything about this and I intent to keep it that way." 

"...just what is Eustass to you, if you don't mind me asking?" 

His creator and boyfriend? The android was still unsure if there was a confirmation relationship between the two. Did they have to confirm anything? Kid never confirmed anything nor out right said it. He didn't know if there was a way to know or not. Law made a reminder to ask Kid for a confirmation later today if he wasn't pissed off from work. "It's... complicated." It was the best answer he could give honestly. 

"But you care about him, correct?" 

_Yes._ He smiled inwardly, but couldn't find himself answering the question. It was after all, a source of information that Law had deemed important to hide. "I didn't realize I was going to be interrogated regarding my relationship with Eustass-ya." 

"That boy has been through a lot from when he moved to here to now. So it'll be nice to see that there's someone out there that actually cares for him." Law could hear the genuine care in his tone. "Anyways, we're getting off topic," the softness in his voice disappeared. "You do realized by giving us this information, if the wrong people finds out that you were the one that tipped off the police, your head is as good as gone." 

Law had to refrain from mentioning that he could get another head if he really needed to. It would undoubtedly take a while to recreate it, but it wasn't impossible. The blueprints were downstairs after all. "I understood the risk when I told you the information." He lied. No, he only understood the consequences of telling the chief of police a small detail that had led to this talk. Just how tight knitted was Joker's reign on this region? 

"If you understood, then why did you tell us?" 

Because he didn't know what Doflamingo had in store for Eustass. Because even if it was a bad idea, Smoker was someone that Eustass seem to trust. Even if it was just a little, they had a similar goal in mind. He wanted to protect Eustass and Chief Smoker wanted to rid the region of Bliss. "Isn't it a citizen's duty to report things like that?" 

"Don't get cheeky with me, brat." 

Law smirked at the comment. "Because it appears that you and I have a similar goal regarding Joker." 

"A goal that you're willing to risk your life for?" 

"I am not one to die easily." 

Smoker scoffed at this. "People who think they're invincible are the ones who end up dead." 

_No, I really cannot die._ Law thought bitterly, though he could not state it. The only true death would be to turn himself off forever, but even that wasn't definite. There was always a possibility that someone will reactivate him. 

"How did you get that information about the warehouse?" He switched topics again. 

Law stayed silent. He wasn't about to confess to a police officer, much less the chief of police that he had basically hacked into the underground's network on a basic whim to try to find more information on Doflamingo a few months ago. Even if Eustass trusted the man by a thin string, Law still hadn't determined if he should spill everything to the Head of the Police Department. "So we're turning this into an interrogation regardless?" 

"I need to know how you're involved with this and if this could lead into police protection." 

"Protection isn't needed and I didn't give you that information for you to interrogate me like a suspect." When Smoker didn't deny the fact that he may be suspecting him, Law stood up. He had, as humans often called it, a gut feeling where this may lead. Though it was more based on the data he was currently processing to the multitude of interrogations he has heard and analyzed. Any further and there may not be an escape. "If this was where you had intended on going then I do not intend to answer your questions, here or at the station. I'll show you the way out, Chief Smoker." 

"We ran a check on you, Trafalgar Law." This made Law pause as he narrowed his eyes. "We had requested information from North Blue for an investigation." This was one of the situations, Law was glad he took the precaution of creating the neutral expression he was currently wearing. However, he knew this was coming, he just didn't expect the man to go this far, this quickly. "There's no such person named Trafalgar Law in the North or South Blue. There is a family with the surname of Trafalgar in the North, but they only have a single daughter." His eyes narrowed as he watched the android. "I want to know who you are." 

Would this be what fear feels like? Law mused. He didn't have an innate feeling of flight or fight, but he knew when a conversation was turning dangerous. And this was turning more dangerous by the second. "Trafalgar Law." He needed to find a way to end this conversation. 

"He doesn't exist." 

Law hummed. "And you wonder why I'm uncomfortable with police officers." He muttered incoherently. "Answer me this, Smoke-ya." Smoker raised a brow at the sudden nickname. "Why do you expect me to answer your questions? At this rate, I can only sense your tactic of force and threatening may potentially lead me to be incriminated just because I'm speaking from my own knowledge." 

"Do you have anything to hide that could be incriminating?" 

"Isn't that what you're trying to figure out?" 

Smoker let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back against the couch. "If I had wanted to incriminate you for something, I would've brought you down to the police station instead of having a conversation here." 

Law only watched and observed Smoker. He couldn't tell if he man was truthful or not. The man seemed to fidget a bit more. He was shaking his leg restlessly as he was about to reached for his cigars before stopping. His fingers ran through his hair as he looked at Law directly in the eyes. 

"Smoke-ya," Law started. "Do you suspect me?" 

"Believe it or not, but I do stand on the fact that all people are innocent until proven guilty. You gave us a very important clue to Bliss and I wanted to know where you stood in this." 

"And that warranted a background check?" 

"A random citizen comes up to you and tells you credible information on Bliss. Wouldn't you want to know how they were involved?" 

Law frowned because he knew he would have done the same. "If that's what you wanted to know, you could have gone straight to those questions." 

"I've got my own method to my madness." 

He allowed himself to smirk at that answer before returning back to his neutral façade. "Fine, but it doesn't assure you that I will answer everything." 

"Fair enough; are you involved with Bliss in any way?" 

"No." 

"Are you connected to Joker?" 

"No." 

There was a quick flicker in his expression, like he wasn't expecting that answer. "Alright, let's talk about you then. What do you do for a living?" 

It was definitely a first hearing that question posed to him. Of course, there was no real answer Law could answer. "Does it matter?" 

"Depends," Smoker started. "Are you a private investigator?" 

"No." 

"Do you work for the police?" 

"No." 

"Do you work for the government?" 

"No." 

A sigh of frustration was let out as Smoker he rubbed his temples. "From my understanding in this and the answers to your question, your name is Trafalgar Law. A person that doesn't exist in either North or South Blue, both places where you claim to live and currently living. You apparently have no connection whatsoever to Bliss or Joker whose running the business, yet somehow you were able to obtain the information regarding the warehouse and told me literally hours before the mass shipment of Bliss was going to arrive. And I'm supposed to believe you just magically came across this information with no connection?" 

_Well he's not entirely wrong…_ Law mused over. "Yes." 

Smoker's head dropped. "I hope you at least understand some of my frustration." 

"Just because I understand it, does not mean I will help relieve it." 

"Alright, then here's a simple question that a yes or no won't cut it. Why do you have knowledge on Bliss?" 

"Why does it matter to you that I have knowledge on it? I've already provided you a clue. I would've thought that was enough for a police department to determine their next steps. 

There was a twitch in his eyebrows, but the annoyance didn't show in his tone. "But why tell _me_ that information? Why risk your life to get us that information?" 

"I've already answered that question. You just happened to be there at that very moment. Had it been another police officer, I might've told him instead." Law lied again. He had his reasons for telling Smoker, but the man didn't need to know that. 

"I doubt you would've just told me on a whim. From my point of view, you have no reason to be involved in this. If you take anything away from today then take my word of advice. Drop whatever you know about Bliss and move on with your life." Smoker spoke sternly. "Don't get involved for your own amusement or curiosity. There is no happy ending if you get involved with Joker." 

Law could feel internally his façade was slowly cracking due to this pure feeling of annoyance and irritation on the Chief's assumptions. "You presume too much, Smoke-ya." 

"Then why don't you tell me the truth?" 

Law observed Smoker once again. He was firm in his words and Law couldn't determine what he wanted to do. In this situation, he was given two choices. He could try for the truth, which can be either beneficial or harmless depending on how trustworthy Smoker was. At the same time, he could keep up this charade and continue to try to get the Chief out of his house effective immediately. Though the former was ideal, the questions leading up to it could be problematic in a lot of ways. With a frowned, he processed in a code mentally. "All you need to know is I'm doing what I've decided would be best to protect Eustass-ya. That's all." 

The statement made Smoker perk up. "Eustass? He's involved?" 

"If what I'm hearing around town regarding Doflamingo being the Joker is true, then I'm sure you can put two and two together." 

Smoker scratched the side of his head, likely attempting to process the statement. "He's working for the robotics branch isn't he? Even if Doflamingo may potentially be Joker, his business is still legitimate from what we know." 

"I know they're working on a special project that involves a café being run by androids." 

"A bunch of robots serving food doesn't sound dangerous." 

Law stopped from continuing. Any further information had required another code. And at this very moment, he refused to input it. Though, he did find the situation rather ironic. "You'll be surprised what those _robots_ could do." Law took a look at the clock, frowning when he noticed the time. Already behind schedule for the things he had planned for the day. "Anyways I'm sure you have better things to do with your day off than working." Law stood up ready to lead Smoker out. 

"Wait a second." 

Law stopped, the way that Smoker was looking at him like he wasn't finished yet. "What is it?" 

"Seeing as you at least told me something, I'll tell you the real reason why I'm here." 

"Was it not to interrogate me?" 

"No, that was only part of it." Smoker smirked. 

Law narrowed his eyes. "So even the Chief of Police bluffs?" 

He chuckled before his serious expression appeared again. "Last night, I received a call from the World Government regarding the Bliss case. They were upset that I had decided to reopen the investigation without their approval. I got annoyed and told them off; said that they didn't have a right to get overreact like that when we're trying to help the citizens here and they are ignoring the situation completely." 

Law listened closely finding the tone to be rather similar to a situation he had dealt with. "You made a mistake?" 

"I don't regret getting angry at them. They've been on my nerves for years now." Smoker replied gruffly. "However because of my actions I got a month suspension. The only thing I'm allowed to do is my paperwork, but nothing else." 

"And you have nothing better to do in the month besides badger me?" 

"I'll get out of your hair in a sec." Smoker said as he stood up. "I need your help for the next month." 

"You don't seem like the type to ask for help, Smoke-ya." 

"No, but I'm at my wits end with this case. I want it to be over and rid this region of this deadly drug. If you're the answer to it, then I need your help." 

Law hesitated in answering. Through processing all the information obtained, Law could only assume what Smoker had wanted. The man didn't appear dumb or dense in any sense. And if he was correct, it could be extremely beneficial to him. However the core of the issue would be helping someone who didn't know he wasn't human. How would he even begin explaining that situation to someone? 

He noticed the man's eyes were on him like a hawk. Similarly to how Law would analyze someone. "What is it?" 

"I have this feeling you're not getting the Bliss information in the most convenient ways. However, I want to see the end of Bliss here, so I'm willing to look past it if you help me." 

"Are you going to arrest me for an assumption of yours if I decide not to help you?" 

"No, I have better things to do with my time and it doesn't appear like you're harming anyone." Smoker said, he reached into his vest jacket to pull out a notebook, scribbling down a number before handing him the sheet of paper. "Just think about it. I've got one month where I'm not restricted to work. I intend to use that time to get as much information regarding Bliss." 

Law nodded, looking at the scribbled number. "Wouldn't you get into further trouble with the World Government if they found out?" 

Smoker only smirked at the statement, like he reveled in the thought of annoying the World Government further. "Like I said, there's no need for them to get so emotionally annoyed over something they could care less about." 

And just like that, Law saw Smoker in a new light as the officer started to head out. For a split second, Law couldn't help, but feel like he was talking to Eustass. That sense of pride for going against those that no one would be stupid enough to defy. But there was always someone. He shook the thought out of his head as he followed the man. "I'll think about it." 

"Don't think too long. The window of opportunity is small and time sensitive. Also…" Smoker stopped by the door. "I just want you to know I wouldn't usually ask a citizen to get involved with something as dangerous as this, but I'm out of options and you seem to know something. It'll be a month, but consider that you may be a target if you get involved. I'll try my best to keep you safe though." 

Law only nodded before opening the door. 

"Hey," Smoker started. "I'm glad that Eustass found someone that genuinely cares for him. He's been through a lot in his life so it's nice to see him actually enjoying himself again. Keep in touch." With that, he left to his car and drove away. 

* * *

The following day was quiet. No random encounter from the Police Chief, which was slightly relieving, but oddly strange. Law had suspected that he was going to badger him again, however, throughout the day there was no sign of the man. He frowned at the situation. If someone wanted something, they would keep going after it, wouldn't they? Humans were really complicated beings. 

Law went about his usual routine, but he couldn't allow himself to enjoy his _freedom_ of walking around outside. His mind was plagued with the conversation he had with Smoker and until he could come up with a solution, he rather limit the chances of running into the Police Chief. Though now with one less thing to do, Law had to admit, he was starting to feel lonely without Eustass around. The research he has done has kept him busy enough to not think about it, but it didn't mean it sufficed like before. The man was gone before the crack of dawn and returned home at sunset and unlike Law, Eustass required sleep. This shouldn't have bothered him as it was almost similar to his last job. Who knew a few hours could make a difference? The few hours they do have together was often spoken in joy about his teammates at work, even if he hated one of them. 

While Law on the other hand was working in secret in which he had already committed himself to keeping Eustass completely in the dark. He knew that if Eustass had found out, he would put an end to it immediately. Law didn't trust Doflamingo and from his own findings on the connection between the two, the android didn't want Eustass to be caught up in whatever that man was planning. 

Whenever they discussed about their days, to keep their conversation going, he had vaguely told him of what he was researching or things that he had happened to see when he was walking. If he had to delve deeper, Law would've just mentioned he saw it on TV. The excuse worked enough that Kid would either explain or leave it at that. It had gnawed at him for lying, but it was fine to fib the truth in this situation, wasn't it? 

Few more days have passed since Smoker's appearance and still there was no sign of the man. His mind kept running the same scenario over and over again in attempts to determine whether to call the officer or not. And oddly enough, he still has not come up with a solution. 

That night, however, his thoughts were focused on something else. When Eustass had come home, the man was covered in bruises along with a gash on his head. His eyes narrowed in on the gash, analyzing and updating the data on Eustass' health before taking a look at it up close. The man had told him of his fight with Dellinger. It had left Law a bit concerned on how as Eustass would describe him, "a small child", could do this kind of damage to Eustass. Upon closer inspection of the injuries, none were major which left Law just a tad bit disappointed. Not that he would say it to Eustass. On the bright side, he did get a chance to see the stitching and bruises up close. 

Aside from that incident, their conversation seemed to flow similarly as any other day. He figured in a few minutes, they would head to bed and Law would be back to his own solitude. That was until Eustass brought up Doflamingo. The topic had shocked Law as he almost jumped to the conclusion that the red haired had found out, but it didn't appear that way on the tone of the conversation. It didn't pertain to anything regarding Bliss, but it was strange for him to ask if he had run into Doflamingo recently. 

_What had brought him to ask that?_ The conversation never flourished after that. The two headed for bed where Eustass plopped himself onto the mattress, stretching his arms out as Law sat on the other side of the bed with his usual book. "Are you sure everything is alright at work?" The android was still unsettled with the topic and against his better judgement; he pried for more information. 

"Don't worry about it. It was just something I heard at work." Eustass spoke. 

"Alright…" Law opened his book again. He had stared at the words, but even he was bored of pretending to read this book any longer. He needed new information. After a few more moments, he turned towards the red haired. By now, he should be starting to fall asleep. "Eustass-ya?" 

"Hmm?" His tone sounding a bit drowsy. 

"Do you fear death?" 

Eustass snorted at the question. "No," he answered, despite keeping his eyes closed. "No used getting scared of something that will come eventually." 

"Even though, statistically speaking, most humans are afraid of dying?" 

This time Eustass opened his eyes. "You really want to discuss this now?" 

"It was something that came to mind while I was researching." _Another lie._ He thought. Law was more curious on why Smoker was so scared for someone else's death if he, himself, knew how dangerous it was. And he knew Eustass would answer without thinking about the meaning behind it when he was tired. He did feel a bit guilty asking him now when he knew the man was tired. 

"Most humans are scared of dying for different reasons. It's hard to explain." Eustass started as he leaned on his hand to look at Law. "I think most people are scared because they don't know what will happen next. Their life essentially ends right then and there. And there's nothing they can do about it." 

"If that's the case, then why be scared at all?" 

"Beats me. Most people are dumb as shit after all." Eustass spoke as he leaned back against the pillow again. 

"So not fearing death makes you smart?" 

"I can hear your sarcasm, jackass." Law only smirked at his remark before Eustass continued. "It's just stupid to be scared of something that can come at any time." 

_Scared of something that can come at any time?_ Law repeated in his mind. He supposed that even the science portion of it wouldn't be able to determine when someone would die if it can come at any time. Once again, it only reminded him how fragile a human life was. How would anyone be able to combat that, if death could appear at any time? When he didn't hear Eustass continue, he had thought the man had fallen asleep. Law was about to turn back to his book, his finger stopped at the page when he heard Eustass again. 

"Though…" Eustass started again, his voice sounded sluggish. "I think I'd regret not being able to accomplish what I wanted if I were to die too soon." 

"Like?" 

He couldn't hear what the man had muttered. Law frowned a bit, taking a peek at the man, who was clearly sleeping now. Law had attempted to replay what Eustass had said, but even his mics couldn't pick it up a coherent sentence. It sounded like a bunch of gibberish. He let out a sigh, allowing him to sleep soundly as Law continued to ponder. 

If death was something that no one could predict, then wouldn't Smoker be putting his own life in danger too? Was he similar to Eustass that he too was not afraid of dying? Law could only presume whether it was a smart or stupid thought to not fear death. Then again, he couldn't exactly _die_ , so could he really be objective about fearing death? 

The thought process only led back to partnering up with Smoker. He really did seem like the perfect candidate to assist him in taking down Joker and this Bliss operation. The Chief of Police was determined to take down Bliss all in one swoop from the sound of things. Even if Law didn't join him, would he still continue on? Law did give him enough information, but he wasn't sure if that was enough to pin Joker down. However, he had a sneaking suspicion Smoker would still go on. 

He knew that if he had worked with Smoker, he would probably be able to progress much faster than working alone. Sure, Law can continue to gain as much knowledge as he could, but he knew over the last few days that he could only do so much with information. With Smoker's help, he would be able to use the information to provide the resources and knowledge an officer would have along with the ability to issue an arrest. At the end of the day, Law knew he would need someone on the legal side of things o be able to take down Joker properly. The only issue was, he would be providing the information that Smoker wouldn't be able to obtain legally. 

He continued on stimulating the same argument and scenario of accepting or rejecting the collaboration. No matter how many times he went over it, he still could not affirm what he wants to do. It was peculiar for the android. Before, he would be able to compute a solution to any problem in a matter of seconds, but this was a tricky situation. Plus, he didn't know how involved he should be with this. 

Smoker was a flesh-breathing human. He had no connection to the man, but even he understood that he didn't want the man to die going in alone. But would Law be able to lessen the chances of death if he joined in? 

Even as all these thoughts were running in his mind, his mind kept running back to the same conclusion. He knew he needed Smoker to complete what he's aiming for. Just like how Smoker needed him to get things done. 

The following day was just as quiet with no sign of Smoker. Eustass on the other hand, seemed to only get angrier with each passing day. He would would toss his bag into the living room, yelling and ranting about how the short piece of shit was wasting time that they didn't have. Despite that Law should have felt worried; he only found the situation amusing. This often resulted in Law smirking as Eustass fumed with rage which made him turn his anger towards Law. From the outside, it would look like the man was pissed off, ready to lash out, but Law knew well enough that this was just Eustass' version of annoyance for not taking his side. 

It was by the next day that Law had slowly solidify his decision. He received a call from Eustass, which was already unusual in itself. Even when he was working at the car shop, he never received a call from him. He has assumed that Eustass had needed to vent to someone since Franky wasn't there. However, it turned out to be the opposite. The two were, surprisingly, getting along and due to the time wasted, he stated he will be staying until when the last train leaves the station. 

He didn't think much of it as he went on with his day, until night came. Just like Eustass has stated, he stayed until the last train and had gotten home by midnight. The man had explained the situation before he had passed out from exhaustion. 

After assisting the man into bed, he only realized that if this was indeed the case, then over the next few days, he really will be alone until Eustass returns late at night. Will he even get a chance to speak to Eustass now? He had wanted to test it out and confirm, but even he knew that time was slowly running out. Plus, it was extremely inefficient to continuously think about the same argument for four days straight now. 

Once he's deemed Eustass was in his deep phase of sleeping, he slipped away and headed downstairs to the living room. He took out the slip of paper and called the number. He doubted the man was going to be up, it was nearly two in the morning after all. But it seems like his predictions was once again incorrect. 

"Hello?" 

"Smoke-ya, I'm surprised you're up." 

He could hear him scoffed. "I should be saying the same to you. I'm guessing you have an answer for me then?" 

"Yeah," Law started. After days of contemplating the idea, tonight it was solidified. Eustass would be busy enough this week that even if Law was out, he may not even notice. At the end of the day, the benefits had outweighs the risks, he'll deal with the risks as they come. But if he wanted to make a dent in Joker's Bliss organization, he had to strike while the iron was hot. "I'll help you." 

"Alright, let's meet up tomorrow, Trafalgar. Now go to sleep. It's two in the morning." 

He had hung up before Law could retort, but the android only smirked as he placed the receiver down. _If only I could._

* * *

After Eustass had left at the break of dawn, Smoker arrived an hour later. He felt like he was betraying Eustass' trust when he had left the house with his hat in his hand. It was one thing to take a walk around the neighborhood; it was another to team up with the Chief of Police to take down Joker and his Bliss situation. He took one last look at the house before entering Smoker's car. 

A huge puff of smoke had left when Law got in. "Doesn't seem safe to drive if you can't see with that amount of smoke." 

Smoker had cracked his window, finishing up his cigar before crushing it into a tray in his car. "I can see just fine. You were taking forever." 

Once Law got in, Smoker had asked if the smoke had bothered him. The android didn't quite understand the question and shook his head. The officer shrugged and drove towards his house advising that it was safer to discuss about this in his house than in Eustass'. Law didn't get the exact logic behind this. If people knew that Smoker was the one that had disrupted the Bliss trade, wouldn't he already have a huge target on this back? Even with the situation, Law went along with his plans. It would be nice to at least know where he lived if needed. 

When the car rolled into the driveway, Law immediately analyzed the house. It was small, double story house. Brick façade with a small pathway connecting the garage to the front door. The house was similar to the other people on the street. Law could only wonder how this was any safer than where he was. 

They walked into the house and Law immediately noticed the stacks of papers, newspapers, and books that adorn every surface that Smoker had. From his view, there was a small clear spot on the coffee table in the living room. He assumed that was where the man worked. 

"Is it really safe to leave everything like that?" 

Smoker raised a brow at the sudden question, before noticing what the man meant. "It's fine. It's just documentation for regulation updates. Any citizen can look up that information if they wanted to." He motion Law to take a seat. "Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee…" 

"No thank you." Not like he could do anything with that substance. He took a seat in one of the arm chairs across from where the clear spot on the table was. As he predicted, Smoker took the spot across from him, and just like fitting the last puzzle piece into a full puzzle, a stack of worn out newspapers slide into the clear spot in the coffee table. 

"Alright, let's get down to business. How much do you know about Bliss?" 

Law gave him a look of discontent, still unsure how much to tell the man and how far he can go to without causing any red flags to occur. 

"It's fine." Smoker started. "Whatever you say I won't hold it against you. I've already told you, I don't have time to arrest people like you if you're not causing any harm to someone else. I had thought you would understand the moment you said you'll help, our partnership started. Technically I'm not supposed to be re-opening this case, so whatever happens, we're both at fault. As of right now, I am only another citizen of South Blue. Our motivation maybe different, but our goal is clear. We want to get rid Joker and his Bliss operation. I don't have much time before my suspension is up, so you're going to have to trust me with whatever information you have and I'll do the same." 

His logic was correct, though Law was still suspicious about him. He did understand that the longer he stall, the less time they'll have until the month suspension was up. "Fine. I didn't do much on sampling, but more in the medicinal aspect of what Bliss was _supposed_ to be. Bliss is essentially an older agent of something called S.S.R.I., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It's a drug with many uses, the most commonly known for medical usage is an anti-depressant. The modern version of the drug and even some of it's predecessors have been regulated and approved, but this appears to be the earliest version of S.S.R.I. And unfortunately, it's highly addictive and illegal to obtain." Law spoke neutrally. "That's the basic knowledge in medical terms. It's been used decades ago, possibly centuries throughout the world until it was banned." 

"The drug itself had stayed clear out of South Blue until 15 years ago when the police force noticed the increase of high school students talking to no one in particular on the streets. Some were found comatose and the number of teenage suicides had risen significantly. From there we noticed the similar symptoms in adults and how closely linked they were to the high school students." 

"How so?" Law asked. 

"I'm not going to deny that if we had connected this earlier to Bliss in the adults, the police force then could've done something sooner. I may say it's only 15 years, but it could have been much longer without anyone knowing about it. We only noticed in the students which made us connect it back to the same symptoms in adults. When we did a crackdown in one of the schools that was when we found Bliss. We've just assumed that the symptoms in the adults were connective to something else. Never knew they were all connected to one." 

"The addictive additive put into Bliss had most likely caused them to overdose. Though to be honest, S.S.R.I., is actually a relatively safer type of overdosing." Smoker only raised a brow at the statement, but Law continued before he could say anything. "Let me explain. In this case, there are smaller amounts of deaths caused by them compared to other drugs. However, it's also quite deadly if it was reconstructed, which I believe Bliss was using the older agent of S.S.R.I., due to the fact that there are mild to no symptoms until it's too late. There are behavioral issues that changes overtime, but in most causes that is also a cause of the drug in attempts to balance out the chemicals called neurotransmitters in your brain affecting your mood and emotions." 

Law could hear Smoker curse underneath his breath. "Sounds like that might be why we couldn't pinpoint it until it was well within South Blue." 

"I'm surprised though." Law started. "I would've assumed the police force's intel would extend to knowledge on the actual drug." 

He could tell the comment had irritated the officer a bit by the twitching eyebrow. "We know enough to understand what the drug does. However, the medical history behind it isn't really our first thought process as to attempting to locate where the drug is." Law only looked at him with a slight disbelief, Smoker frowned. "Don't give me that look. I know exactly what you're thinking." 

Law only smirked a bit, before changing the subject. "Around 15 years ago, isn't that when South Blue was in the middle of a recession?" 

"Hell, we're still in a recession if you really think about it. Though South Blue isn't exactly the richest region compared to where you used to live. It's always been like this. The region isn't exactly deemed the safest. It wasn't until we fixed up Gol Plaza that tourism picked up. The government made an attempt in boosting the economy, but one fixed up city isn't going to fix 90% of the rest of the region. The capital still ranks lowly compared to many other regions when comparing the safety of the area." 

Smoker huffed before grabbing two of his cigars. He looked at Law for a moment before lighting it up, taking a long drag. "Then Doflamingo showed up." 

Law looked at Smoker seeing a slight pain that crossed the man's face. He couldn't attempt to imagine what the Chief of Police had to handle when he took the position as Chief. He heard some of it from Eustass, but to actually hear it from the man himself was a completely different experience. The pure annoyance for what has occurred and the genuine concern for the citizens, he could only conclude one thing: the man really did care for the citizens of this region. 

"He provided what the government couldn't; factory jobs that didn't require much skills. We can't prove it, but based on the timeline, Doflamingo had the factories up and running about 15 years ago. Which happens to be the same when we've found Bliss. There's a chance that Bliss was already here. With Doflamingo, it appears the operation was centralized and in comes Joker, the mastermind behind Bliss." 

"Out of curiosity. How did you figure out about Joker?" 

"One of his henchmen talked when the Police Department made an arrest. People around the region often mentioned the name Joker as well. The rest was simple logic when we connected Joker with Bliss." 

"Isn't that enough information to connect Joker to Doflamingo?" 

"No… unfortunately this isn't just any regular citizen that we can just investigate. Doflamingo has a lot of connections that can help him out." 

"Even if there is a clear connection between the Joker's drug trade and when Doflamingo opened the factories? Doesn't everyone in South Blue have the basic knowledge that the two are connected? Isn't that enough evidence?" 

"It's not as black and white as you think it is. Common knowledge like that does not mean that it's considered factual. We need significant evidence because if we're wrong, an innocent man could be convicted instead." 

Law frowned at the mere thought that Doflamingo was actually innocent. "We both know Doflamingo is not innocent." 

"That's just how the justice system works, Trafalgar." Smoker spoke. He rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the headache that was building. "The justice system is there to penalize the guilty, but it is also there to protect those who are innocent. It may be flawed, but if it keeps the innocent out of prison, then we must accept the fact that it may also let the guilty go free." 

Law watched the chief of police as his eyes analyzed the man. He could detect large amount of stress and fatigue. He wondered just how much pressure is on Smoker to stop these drug trades. There were still some things that he didn't trust in with the justice system. Smoker was right, it was a flawed system when they allowed the guilty to walk. "Even if that _innocent_ person may have affected hundreds upon thousands of people?" 

Smoker sighed heavily, letting out some more smoke. "Like I told you before, I do stand on the fact that all people, even Doflamingo at this moment, is innocent until proven guilty." 

* * *

The next few days as the week was finally winding down, Law didn't understand how, but he almost felt at ease. Or at least, he didn't feel like he needed to worry entirely about speaking to him with Bliss. Smoker seemed to be the same way, speaking freely about the case. In a way, it was like a relief to be able to discuss with someone about the situation. 

They traded information and looked through each and every documentation that Smoker had collected since he started investigating it on his own. And like a sponge, Law absorbed each and every word about the situation and how deeply intertwined the drug had gotten into the rest of the region. They never overstepped their boundaries, understanding their position in society, even if at this point, they were only two citizens trying to connect a situation that didn't have all the clues. If possible, Law felt almost giddy learning more about the drug and the exact evidence of how it has affected the citizens was within his hands. Then using that information to best determine how it could fit into the puzzle. 

"You said that the trade routes are located around here?" Smoker was hovering over a location within Grand Line City, circling the location with a black marker. 

"From what I heard there's a pick-up zone located somewhere in that location before it comes here." 

He nodded. "I've already sent a message to my colleague up in North Blue. If what you discovered is true, then we may have located where the drug has been manufacture, which could completely end the trade." 

"Your colleague is someone you can trust?" 

"He's helped me out of bad situations before and has been a mentor to me when I was in the academy." 

Law only nodded before putting one of the newspapers on top of the multitude of paper stacks. "There's nothing in today's paper about Doflamingo or Bliss." 

"There rarely is unless something big had occurred." Law returned his attention back to the map. "Our best guess now is to look at this area, but you currently don't have authorization to send a squad in." 

"Don't need one, this area is considered public so anyone can walk through it. Only problem is if we find anything, we won't be able to have back up and I rather not get you this involved if it gets serious." 

"We don't have an option now do we? But we only have the month, correct?" 

Smoker frowned, his eyes squinting as he looked at the map. "Yea… and if they found out we're onto them, they're going to move their operations before the month is up." 

"Sounds like a hassle trying to find them again." 

"Exactly." Smoker sighed, rubbing his temples. "Alright, let's go tomorrow morning, we'll be each other's back up." 

Law stared a bit surprised at the Chief of Police's recklessness before smirking a bit. _I guess when desperate enough, anyone can go in without thinking. What a strange human intuition._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who only read the AO3 version of this and not the fanfiction version. I'll leave this note here too.
> 
> This will be the last chapter I'm publishing.
> 
> You can read the reason over there, but essentially. I'm busy with real life and work and I don't feel like the readers are interested in this story. As such, I'm going to be working on my own from now on. 
> 
> So for all those who had reviewed even once. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.


	17. Grim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be advised I’m not off hiatus, but i wanted to give you a holiday gift.

It was always nerve-wracking the first time around. Eustass mused as he stared at the female android in front of him. He was waiting for the signal as Dellinger entered and uploaded the final product for Baby 5. When the computer gave them the green light, there was this rush of déjà vu that hit Kid. Who would have thought he would be able to create another android so soon? With a press of a button, the android activated. He walked around to his teammates' side, to watch their creation's awakening. 

Slowly, her eyes started to flutter open, revealing dark brown eyes. She tilted her head slightly to look at them. "Who are you?" 

The masculine voice had taken all three of them back, completely unsuspecting the tone in voice. However, Kid had immediately recognized the voice, which only shocked him further. 

"Of all the small details," Franky began to laugh at the situation. "I can't believe you two forgot to change her voice." 

Dellinger eventually laughed as well."Kyahahaha~ If anything, Kiddie had forgotten it." He strolled back to the computer to locate the audio files. 

Kid scowled at Dellinger. "Hey, that was just as much as your responsibility as mines." 

"Oh I'm sorry," he didn't sound like it though. "Who was the one that built multiple androids?" 

"Who was the one that also built plenty of animatronics that is able to speak too?" 

Dellinger hummed lightly. "Touché, Kiddie." 

"So whose voice was that then?" Franky asked. 

"My android, Law." 

"So that's what Trafalgar's voice sounds like." Dellinger started. "I've asked this before, but when are you going to show us this android you created?" 

Never. Kid immediately thought. Not when Doflamingo was this close. "We already have an android now. Why would you want to see Law?" 

"For shits and giggles," Dellinger responded without missing a beat. 

"Wouldn't it be super to see how androids would interact with one another?" Franky added. 

Wouldn't it be just like two humans meeting each other? Kid thought. Their processing wouldn't make it any other different than two strangers meeting each other. "We don't exactly have time for that with the deadline coming up." 

Dellinger hummed before looking over at Baby 5 again. "I'm sure we can find the time. It could be like bring your child to work or something like that. Alright, it's updated." The other two looked towards the android as well as the program was rebooted into Baby 5. 

"Who are you?" She repeated with a feminine voice. 

The three proceeded to introduce themselves. Kid had immediately noticed there was no verbal tick that Law had. He wondered why on that, but couldn't contemplate on the reason as they started the testing. They tested what she could do and what knowledge did she knew of the world. From his first impression, she was much more knowledgeable about the world compared to Law, but he supposed that was thanks to Dellinger's help for inputting that in. Her speech was natural and her thought processing was as quick as any other human. She knew of the most current trends, the current news, and advice on different relationship topics. Sounded like a good start. 

However, Kid raised a brow as she started to explain the importance of marriage and immediately look towards Dellinger. "Seriously?" He wasn't sure what women talked about on a daily basis, but he's not sure if marriage would be the conversation starter considering the age range Doflamingo's aiming at with this café location. 

For the first time, Dellinger looked a bit sheepish. "Well I thought females would like to talk about relationships and this would be a good starting point for conversations." 

"I think she missed a bunch of steps in a usual relationship," Franky commented. 

Dellinger rolled his eyes. "I'll give her magazines to read or something. How was I supposed to know the most important part she took out of the data was marriage? Besides, what's more important is her functioning." 

"You're just trying to get out of the fact that you made a mistake," Kid smirked a bit. 

"Shut it, Kiddie." 

"Well, if everything checks out, we do a quick test to see how well she'll handle customers before we head to the Baratie for training and a full run through." 

As the two continued their testing, Eustass zoned out as he took notice of Baby 5. She was performing without any issues; as if she was human herself. In between testing or when the three of them talked, she would watch them out of curiosity. He would assume she would be analyzing with the way she watched them intently, but she didn't have that ability. His best guess is, she must be observing how humans interact. 

Dellinger had wanted to see if he could create an emotion database for Baby 5 to understand how to handle different types of emotions that customers may have. This was often done by observing various types of emotion and having each one recorded and archived as data to be used later on. It was something similar that humans had when using experience in attempts to replicate a similar situation with previously occurred. Creating a central emotion database would allow each android to be able to tap into the database from any one android and use that as experience. Kid had found Dellinger's idea fascinating, but he couldn't imagine how well it would work considering the vast amount of situations that would occur along with the constant duplicates that would overlap. However, Dellinger moved forward with it and now they had a staring android watching their every move. 

He supposes it wasn't too different than Law, now that he thought about it. 

Baby 5 took notice of Kid staring at her and smiled as she looked at him. "Is there something you need, Eustass?" 

"No, it's nothing." 

Baby 5 only smiled sweetly. "Well if you need me for something, I'll be more than happy to help you." 

Kid only nodded before hearing the sounds of something scraping against the floor. 

Franky was pulling the table towards the center of the room before turning to the other two with a grin. "Alright, Dellinger, Kid, you two sit down at the table and pretend to be customers so Baby 5 can take your order." 

"Why do we have to sit down? I don't want to be on a date with this little Kidde." Dellinger folded his arms. 

At the mention of his name, he looked towards the small blond. "Like hell, I would want to be on a date with you." 

"Oh, please, as if we're even in the same league. And I'm sorry, but you're just not my type. However, you being tall and dumb do help in some ways." He smirked. 

Eustass slammed his hand down on the table. "Don't give me more reasons to kill you." He snarled. Though the two got along better, he hated the fact that he still got riled up by this little piece of shit. Even if it was for stupid shit like this. 

The mere movement caused by Dellinger's provoking caused the blond to grin widely. "Make sure to wave hi to the security camera if you plan to do that. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to see that." 

His red eyes quickly flashed up towards the cameras. The red blinking light signified that it was currently active. He let out a groan of frustration, hating the fact that he was right. He immediately knocked the long table over instead to rid his annoyance. It was probably a little bit excessive, but it did make him feel a bit better. Without a second of hesitation, Baby 5 was able to put the table back in place with ease despite the weight. 

"Temper, temper." 

"Shut it, you little piece of shit." Kid yelled before looking towards Franky. "Franky, why don't you do it?" 

"No can do Kid; it feels like I'm cheating on my wife." 

"You just called it pretend!" Eustass and Dellinger yelled at the older man. 

Baby 5 pulled out a chair. "Please take a seat so I can take your order." 

"Not yet, Baby 5." Franky started. "It seems like both customers aren't actively participating. Just pretend you're friends going out for a bit to eat." 

"We're not friends." Kid and Dellinger spoke and pointed in unison. 

Franky let out a sigh. "And you two were doing so well lately too." He rubbed his chin as if contemplating over the situation. 

"Oh! Bells!" At the sound of Dellinger's voice, Kid and Franky looked over seeing the small blonde run out of the lab. 

Kid only raised a brow wondering who Dellinger could sound so excited for? The man never seemed to show any other interest other than pissing him off. When his eyes trailed to the display window he immediately glowered recognizing the face. What the fuck is Bellamy doing here? Honestly, he had thought the man had skipped town or died since he hasn't seen or heard from him since the last time his buddies decided to nick him with a bullet. He would probably be madder if he hadn't already thought the guy was pathetic for running around with Joker. 

When Bellamy had turned around to look at Dellinger, he made eye contact with Eustass through the picture window and immediately paled. For a split second, the two stared before the blond promptly taken off. Eustass only watched out of confusion and without delay Dellinger passed by the window hot on Bellamy's heels. The next second he heard something crash and can only assume Dellinger tackled him or something. Kid couldn't tell if he should pity the man or not. 

He turned to Franky considering ignoring the situation was probably best at this point. "So after this, we're going to the Baratie?" 

"Hmm?" Franky turned towards him. "Yeahh, we're going to take a walk there to see how Baby 5 can handle crowds of people. You had mentioned that Law had problems with the mass amount of people?" 

"It was something similar to that, but that was due to his analyzation ability. She may not have that problem since we removed it." 

"We'll see when we get there. If the café is a hit, she'll have to deal with rushes throughout the day. She may have all the kinks that your android had fleshed out. But we don't know what issues she may run into until we start putting her in the environment she was built for. 

"Considering that it's Doflamingo's café, the place will likely be a hit regardless," Eustass stated. "At this point, it doesn't appear like she's having any problems aside from her conversation topics. But we can fix that as we go." 

Franky hummed. "Doflamingo has some super skills when it comes to business. I figured since that was the case, the Baratie is the perfect place as our testing grounds. They always seem to be busy even during hours that aren't busy." 

The two paused when Dellinger had walked in with the blond following him back in. Kid had looked down at him with wonder. How did these two meet exactly? He looked at Bellamy, his face stern, though the sunglasses were a new look. There was a new scar on his face from the last time the two saw another. Overall, the man didn't look that different, maybe he had worked out a bit more since then, but it did make his eye twitch seeing him. Everything about Bellamy right now only made him realized how far he's gotten away from the curse that is South Blue. 

The never-ending cycle of being stuck there without much hope of tomorrow. People who stayed in South Blue will live and die there. Only a few handfuls can escape. It didn't help that Bellamy was exactly the type of person that pissed off Kid. Arrogant without the strength for it and the way he thought he was better because he was working under Joker. What a joke. A man who came all the way from North Blue just to work under Joker; if that wasn't a pathetic joke to begin with, then Kid didn't know what else would be considered as one. 

Bellamy had taken notice of Kid as their eyes met. 

This new tension had suddenly grown as the two men stared each other down. Kid could only guess what Bellamy was thinking as he scrutinized every detail of the man. The longer he thought, the more he started to wonder, why is he in Grand Line City? Franky and Dellinger had taken note of the situation, looking between the two. 

"Do you two know each other?" Franky had asked. 

There was this long pause as neither spoke. They only continued staring before a silent agreement was made. "…never seen him in my life." The two spoke in unison. Bellamy turned away to look at Dellinger and break eye contact. 

"Oh, well this is Bells." Dellinger chirped. 

Kid couldn't help but snicker at the nickname. 

The tall blond scowled. "It's Bellamy." 

"And this is Kiddie and Pervert." 

This time Bellamy snickered. Kid had willed himself from tossing the closest thing at Bellamy. Dellinger wrapped his arm around Bellamy's arm. "He'll be my date for our test run." 

"What?" Bellamy sounded confused. 

Franky only shrugged. "That's fine with me. It's still pretend at the end of the day…" 

* * *

The initial test run for Baby 5 worked out well. Dellinger had asked her questions off the cuff like he was trying to catch her off guard. Bellamy had even joined in asking any questions that came to mind. Baby 5 have easily answered each one without a moment's hesitation. She was by their side attending to their every need just as she was programmed. Though, Kid had voiced his concerns that she may have acted over the line sometimes when attempting to assist with every little thing. Dellinger only shrugged it off but will look into the programming later on with him. 

Besides minor details, Baby 5 had passed the test and now they were on their way towards the Baratie. The walk would allow Baby 5 to physically see crowds. Even without the analytical ability, Kid still wanted to see how she would handle them. He doubted it would make much difference, but she was still observing people and in taking any forms of emotions. 

Baby 5 was excited when the four of them headed out. She looked from side to side, her eyes almost twinkling at the sight of everything. Kid watched amused as he remembered how Law was when he first left the house. 

The walk towards the Baratie was supposed to be a simple task, but Kid also had forgotten how strange this group was. The group had attracted much attention as they were walking towards the Baratie. There was a short male in heels, a massive man wearing a speedo, and an android who wore the French maid outfit despite the practice run. And Kid always thought he was the oddball out in his group. It felt strange now being the only one that was mildly normal. 

Baby 5 and Dellinger were walking ahead talking as Franky took notes. Kid had observed Baby 5 while she was interacting with Dellinger. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it appeared like they were communicating without a problem. There were moments that Baby 5 would lose focus and stare at something that she found interest in. When that occurred, Kid pulled out his own notepad writing a quick note before tucking it back into his pocket. 

The programming had given life to Baby 5, just as it had given Law one. He wondered just how this program will shape Baby 5 like it had shaped Law. Though, this was something anyone could see with a regular normal child, there was something fascinating about giving this ability to nothing but an android build of metal and wires. 

"Do you think we'll need another upgrade?" Franky had asked him. 

"I think she should be fine staying as the model Baby 5. Dellinger and I will look into some of the kinks we're noticing in the programs. We may need to work on new programs that she may need in a food setting once she's in that setting." 

"Alright, then since the model is completed, we'll have to talk to Doflamingo about a name for her soon." Franky mused. 

"Shouldn't we have given her a name prior to us turning her on. It'll end up confusing her in the end." Kid mentioned. And there was something that felt wrong to him about changing the android's name when it was set. 

"Is that going to be a problem?" Franky asked. 

"I'm not sure, when I first turned on Law, I've already had a name in mind and gave him that name immediately. I haven't really thought about what would happen if we needed to change the name." 

"Maybe we should restart her? Is there a way to retain what she is trained to do, but restart the AI program?" 

Kid frowned at the thought of restarting Baby 5. Sure it wasn't impossible, he'll have to make sure all the data is backed up correctly before the reboot, but it just felt… wrong to him. "It's not impossible, but I'm not too sure about her retaining her training as they are stored in her memories. Her body isn't human in a sense like she may have amnesia and the body would remember the action, but the mind doesn't. We would end up at square-" Kid immediately stopped when he nearly walked into Dellinger. "Oi, don't just-" 

Dellinger held up his hand, not even bothering looking at Kid directly. His focus was entirely somewhere else. Franky and Kid followed Dellinger's gaze and noticed that Baby 5, who was smiling brightly as she was speaking to a rather sleazy guy. The man was speaking to her in a hushed tone. The look in his eyes was concerning causing Kid to scowl. 

"What happened? I thought you were watching Baby 5?" Kid spoke to the short blond. 

"I was until that guy came up and started to talk to Baby 5 about needing help," Dellinger said as he tapped his foot. "Due to programming, she said she was going to help. Before I knew it, he had pulled her away and then you slowpokes showed up." 

"Come on, we should probably do something, it looks like they're about to leave." Franky said. 

"Alright," Kid was about to walk towards him when Franky placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Wait, he's still a citizen so you can't just attack-" 

"Oh my fucking god, I'll handle it." Franky and Kid looked at one another before watching Dellinger stroll over towards them. 

He gave the man a bright smile as he talked to him in his usually effeminate voice. Kid could see how fake that smile was after spending nearly a month with him, he smirked a bit as he had a feeling where this was going to lead. As he spoke, the man turned towards him, grinning. As he was about to put his arms around Dellinger, the blond swung his leg and kicked the man into the wall. 

Baby 5 gapped before stomping her heel. "Dellinger! That man needed my help." 

Dellinger hummed as he was brushing the invisible dirt off his blouse. "And we need you at the Baratie." He held onto her wrist to bring her back. He looked at Franky and Kid, smirking a bit. "You know for two masculine looking men, you guys can't even figure out how to save a lady. I feel sorry for your significant others." 

Before Kid could retort, Franky scolded the short blond. "Dellinger! You can't attack a citizen like that." 

"Oh I'm sorry, let me just allow the man to take me to who knows where next time and then I'll attack him. Is that a better plan?" 

"You know what I meant," Franky spoke. 

Kid watched the two almost amused at the situation. From his stance, it had almost looked like a father scolding his rebellious child. However, his amusement was short lived when he realized Baby 5 was no longer with them. Frantically, he turned his head side to side to find the android. "Oi, where's Baby 5?" 

The two ceased their conversation as they looked around. Franky, being the tallest of the three was able to spot Baby 5 talking to another man down the street. "I'll handle it this time." He said as he headed down. 

Dellinger rolled his eyes while folding his arms. "Your android must have been a fucking hassle if this is happening. I didn't realize we had to become bodyguards for an android." 

"I couldn't have predicted this," Kid disapproved of his statement. "Law and Baby 5 were developed and introduced in different environments." 

He honestly couldn't have predicted the turn of events in how Baby 5 would act. The way the two androids were activated was vastly different. Law was always a work in progress, which allowed him to grow at his own pace. Law was always growing and learning even after the final body model was made for him. Law had molded his own personality as he grew. But with Baby 5, she was already given everything to her from the beginning. What was already programmed into her would dictate how she would act. And it was clear that there will be some type of expectation towards Baby 5 that Law did not have to deal with. 

"Plus you had to put that stupid program that made her cater to what a person wanted," Kid chastised. 

"That's what she's going to have to do anyway!" The blond huffed. "How was I supposed to know a program like that would cause this?" 

"And you call yourself a genius." 

"Hey," He pointed his finger at him before pressing it against his chest. "You didn't know either, genius." 

It was hard to stop himself from knocking the blond down for good measure, but he did agree. Neither one of them were able to predict what Baby 5 would do when activated. 

"Well, I'm glad you two agree that you're both geniuses." Franky cut in. "I may not know much about programming, but I'm sure she'll get better with time." Baby 5 was by his side, smiling happily as she was completely oblivious to the problems around her. 

Despite the walk to the Baratie was only a short twenty-minute walk from the Smile Corporation Headquarters, it had taken nearly twice as long in their attempts to prevent Baby 5 from wandering off. Even if they were to keep an eye on her, she somehow found a way to escape to them. If it wasn't annoying already, Kid would actually be impressed with how many times she had slipped out of their field of vision. If there was someone who had shown an inkling of needing help, Baby 5 was by their side immediately. 

Kid growled looking around for the damn android again. At this point, they might even consider turning her off and carry her to the Baratie as they were already late as is. When he pinpointed her, he pushed past the android, aggravated as he grabbed the man's shirt, lifting him up. "Speak to her and I will break you." His eyes narrowed as the male immediately paled. 

Baby 5 had placed a hand on Kid's arm. "Eustass, I was going to help him with-" When Kid had immediately glared at her, she had hidden herself behind Franky. Kid tossed the man back, who didn't waste a second to take off. 

"Kyahahaha~, you almost made him wet himself, Kiddie." Dellinger laughed in pure amusement. 

He frowned, but turned around towards Dellinger. "You were no help, Dellinger." 

"I did too help." 

"Yeahh, for the first one." 

"Hey, I'm not being paid to play babysitter." Dellinger crossed his arms before he started to grin. "Of course it's not much of a difference since we've also got to watch over you, Kiddie." 

"Say that again and you can take his place." Kid retorted. He turned his head as he rubbed his temples. Just a few more blocks. As his anger was subsiding momentarily, he noticed a very familiar spotted hat. He didn't think too much of it, but the hat was too similar for him to ignore. He tried to focus on it despite the crowd. It couldn't be him. Kid reminded himself, but in a quick second, that thought was shattered. That black and yellow hoodie were hard to miss. He's seen it so many times before. That was definitely Law standing just a couple of yards away from him. The expression on the android's face was briefly startled, but he looked away. 

Why was Law here? How did he get here? Kid questioned. He could hear his teammates talking in the background, but he paid no mind as he started to push past the crowd moving towards Law. Questions continued to repeat over and over in his mind. He kept trying to dispute them, but the fact that he knew he saw Law was enough for him. As he got closer, another familiar face was talking to Law. 

It would be hard to mistaken him for anyone else. After all, he's seen him around everywhere since he was in high school. It soon clicked in his mind, when he noticed the two talking. He didn't understand why or how, but something snapped in him as he ran towards the two. In the distance, he could hear his teammates yelling at him, but his mind was more focused on those two. 

When did those two started to talk to each other? For what reason would Smoker even need to speak to Law? Why were they both together in Grand Line City? Why were they together? 

As he pushed past the last of the people, he looked around at the spot Law was in. It was already a busy intersection. He had seen the two moved, but he couldn't tell which direction the two had headed. His head turned desperately as he scanned for the spotted hat again. Even with his height, it didn't help. The two of them were gone. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and immediately shoved it off, turning to glare at the person. The taller cyan haired man watched him, completely unfazed by the anger. "Where are you going, Kid? We can't afford to have you running off too." Franky started. "…what's wrong?" 

Kid had looked at Franky. He felt on edge right now. There was this need to explode if he could, but he had to remember that he was at work and needed to focus on that. He let out a quick sigh, in attempts to calm down, but to no avail. "I'm fine." Kid snarled back, but immediately regretted it when the man had this concerned look on his expression. "Don't worry. I'm fine." Though at this point, he was trying to convince himself of that more than Franky. 

"Alright," Franky hadn't pressed further. "We need to get to the Baratie; Dellinger already went ahead with Baby 5." 

Kid only nodded since he didn't trust his words right now. He followed Franky towards the restaurant. He could sense Franky wanted to ask more, but was thankful that he didn't. As he turned back once more to where he had seen Law and Smoker, he could only wonder for now. He'll get down to the bottom of this when he's home tonight. 

* * *

As they were approaching the city, Law's eyes narrowed in at the scenery. He hasn't ever been outside of South Blue before, yet now in the distance laid the very city that Eustass was working in now. He wondered if this was what his creator saw every morning when he goes into the city. 

The skyline was created with a multitude of skyscrapers sprouting from the ground. His curiosity got the better of him as he contemplated just how and what kept the buildings up? How did humans find a way to create skyscrapers? And did they find it as fascinating and captivating as he did? 

"Have you ever been to Grand Line City?" Smoker asked. 

"I've never been out of South Blue," Law mentioned, preoccupied with the scenery instead. 

"You mean, after moving down from North Blue?" 

Law tears his eyes away from the skyline to look towards Smoker. "Yeah, but I consider South Blue as my home." 

There was this slight twitch in his lips like he was trying to stop himself from smiling. He coughed lightly before his usual frown appeared on his face. 

As they parked the car within the city, the two went over the plan once more. Law listened closely as he went over each step to make sure everything was okay. It was simple enough, if anything, Smoker had more to do than he did. Law was supposed to be on lookout while Smoker goes into the warehouse to confirm if it really was a storage center for Bliss. This was mostly due to Smoker's policy of keeping citizen's safe and the fact that he was bringing a citizen this close was rubbing him the wrong way. Law still didn't quite understand that when he was still in the middle of it all. 

If everything went well, they'll soon be able to shut down this area to prevent Bliss from going any farther than here. It doesn't stop everything, but a good majority of it was coming from here based on what Law was able to dig and track down. This will give them more time to pin down Joker. After all, once a supply is cut off, he's sure the people in South Blue will start to panic. And panic can often lead to sloppy and careless mistakes. That's at least what they're banking on. 

"Do we have a plan if we're caught?" Law asked. 

"How fast can you run?" 

The man didn't appear to be joking as Law looked at him perplexed at the question. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not with the idea of getting caught meant to flee with reckless abandonment. Though he could see Kid doing this, he didn't expect the Chief of Police to suggest it either. "I'm not entirely sure. I've never attempted to calculate the speed when I run." Though to be perfectly honest, he hasn't really tried running much; not that he needed to. He just hopes some of his interior components will stay in place. 

As Law left the car, he looked at the crowds of people with fascination. This appeared just like when he was in Gol Plaza during the lunch rush, however, it appeared much worst. The sea of people was never-ending. He quickly changed his settings to manual as the last thing he needed was to malfunction with someone who didn't know what he was. As he looked towards Smoker who nodded before starting to head into the crowd, he realized he'll have to keep focus especially since this was an important step. 

"Try not to get lost here, alright?" Smoker spoke to him as Law was following him through the crowd. "I'm not too familiar with these parts, so we have to make sure we don't lose each other." 

He had wanted to say that he had downloaded the map of the city and had a grasp of every possible road and avenue to get to and from the warehouse. "Has Bliss ever gotten into the city?" 

"I doubt the Chief of Police here would ever allow it," Smoker started. "The man is ruthless." 

"I don't think someone can allow or not allow the distribution of a drug." 

"You'll understand if you ever meet the guy." The statement sounded rather bitter. 

"You two don't get along?" 

"Let's just say, I don't agree with his methods, but he's keeping Grand Line City safe, so I can't entirely criticize." 

As they started to get closer towards the outskirts of the city, Law had pinpointed them on his mental digital map. Just a few more streets before they had left the city. From there it was a quick pass to the docks. The further they were away from the car, the more Law was starting to realize that it could be a disadvantage to them especially if the plan backfired. 

As the plan didn't technically start yet, Law allowed himself a moment to look around at the city. He would love to come back to see and explore on his own time. He wondered if Kid would be willing to bring him out here like he did with Gol Plaza. Maybe after everything has settled with Bliss and the android project, he had hoped. 

The two turned down onto a street and Law froze as he noticed a very familiar red-haired man. Despite his better judgment, he stopped briefly allowing his eyes to activate and analyze everything in front of him. It wasn't hard to miss Eustass when his fiery red locks stood out from the crowd. It appeared like Eustass was on the verge of punching someone with the way that he held the man up. The three people surrounding them was a female in a maid outfit, Franky was probably the taller male who wasn't wearing pants, leaving Dellinger, the smallest of the four. 

What a strange looking group. Law speculated. 

His eyes focused on the female in attempts to analyze her. She must be the android that Eustass had mentioned before. It was a strange feeling seeing another android before him. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Based on the situation now, Eustass is yelling at Dellinger. He wasn't sure what exactly, but he's guessing that they're currently conducting their test run. 

He couldn't figure out why, but it was strange to see Eustass at work in a completely different setting. Sure, Eustass used to work at the car shop and Law would tag along every so often, but he was always free to dress as he pleases. This Eustass was in a suit and tie. As appealing as that looked, Law always felt like he looked just a bit off. 

Actually, the entire setting looked a bit off. It was weird not seeing Eustass talking to Killer or seeing him with his hands all grimy or even the goggles he often wore that pushed up against his hair. This Eustass was polished, if he could call him that. And though it looked nice, Law couldn't really say that it suited the man. 

He stood longer than he intended and that was his own mistake. His eyes widen as he saw those red eyes looking back at him with just as much astonishment. He knew he had to look away, but the way that Eustass was looking at him, there was something there that he couldn't detect. Angry? Dumbfounded? Perplex? 

"Trafalgar, I told you not to get lost!" Smoker grabbed his arm, which Law was slightly thankful for. His head turned towards Smoker his pupils refocusing in. It appeared like Smoker noticed it too as he was staring into his grey irises. 

"Sorry, I thought I saw someone familiar." 

Smoker's stun face seemed to pass over. "It's fine, but we need to get there on time." 

Law only nodded. "Let's go." He didn't bother to look back in Eustass' direction; he knew it would be dangerous to. As he followed after Smoker, he removed his spotted hat, holding it close to him. He didn't want Eustass to find him. Not here and not now. 

With the docks within sights, Smoker and Law immediately went towards the suspected warehouse. Law stayed hidden by the crates as he kept an eye out for danger. He wasn't entirely sure what would constitute as danger considering the dangerous situation they already were in. However, he still kept a watchful eye as his eyes analyzed the surrounding area for anything that would move. As dangerous as Smoker made it sound, from his vantage point, it was quiet and the place was desolate. 

Law frowned as he was trying to understand why the situation appeared to be going over easier than expected. He supposed it was also due to the fact that he, himself, wasn't in the actual factory to know if it was going well or not. He supposed this is one of those movies versus reality situations that Penguin had mentioned before. Situations liked these were always portrayed as much more dangerous. People were creeping around and hidden in shadows waiting to ambush someone. Then again, it was technically their job to do the sneaking. 

He continued to stare out waiting for Smoker to return with good news. His eyes suddenly picked up movement in the distance. Law's eyes zoomed in as far as they could go. From afar, the man had blond hair and sunglasses. It wasn't until he got closer that he was able to do a facial recognition scan. 

Bellamy. His mind registered. He had remembered that Smoker told him that this man wasn't much of a threat, but more of a nuisance. However, despite that, he was one of the well-known distributor of the drug, which was enough for the police to keep an eye on him. He did the job well enough, spreading Joker's symbol around town to the point of vandalism. 

The longer that he thought about it, the more the name was becoming familiar. He's definitely heard the name before. As he searched through his memories, a simple small detail appeared. He was the one that Killer mentioned months ago regarding the symbol on Eustass' shop. However, right after that, he never heard the name any longer. That fell in line with what Smoker had stated. The man suddenly went missing and he wasn't sure if the man was still alive or not. 

Clearly, he was very much alive by the way he was still walking. Did he move his work to Grand Line City? Law pondered. Was this enough to connect him to the warehouse and Bliss? Law watched Bellamy walk right into the warehouse that Smoker was currently in. He pulled out his walkie-talkie when he could no longer see Bellamy. He didn't know how dangerous Bellamy could be. The fact that his friends had attempted to shoot Eustass, he could only imagine that he was possibly just as dangerous. 

"Smoke-ya," Law said as he continued to stare at the warehouse. "I just saw Bellamy walk into the warehouse, over." 

"Bellamy?" Smoker whispered, but his tone sounded confused. "Are you sure, over?" 

"He looked exactly like the picture you showed me, I'm not sure what he's doing here though, over." 

Before he could hear anything else, a loud sounding alarm was heard. Law immediately tried to see what caused the sound. "Smoker? What happened, over?" 

"Start running!" 

That was enough for Law to start running back towards the city. His eyes kept turning around to see if he could find where Smoker was instead he noticed Bellamy leaving and immediately running off in a different direction. The android wasn't sure if he should attempt to follow him when he was told to run. 

Smoker appeared beside him pushing him forward. "Law, what the fuck did I say? Start running!" Smoker yelled as he continued running. 

Law frowned and looked back seeing that Bellamy was already gone. He followed after Smoker. Running was such a weird sensation for him. He was only mimicking what he saw, but it was strange seeing things move a lot quicker due to him moving quicker. It was an interesting predicament. However, he could hear something inside of him hitting the inner walls. He just hoped it wasn't something major that could be a problem at this rate. Although, the mob that was chasing them was perhaps a more concerning matter right now. 

"What happened? I thought everything was fine when we were talking?" 

"You can never tell in these situations," Smoker responded. "I'll tell you the details when we get out of here. Right now, we need to get back to the city." 

"So the mob comes along with these situations?" 

"They saw me when I was getting out." 

Law turned to see the number of people that were chasing them. "Wouldn't it be dangerous to the citizens if we led them to the city?" 

"If my assumption is correct, they're not going to go anywhere close to the city area. Not when the Chief of Police is currently holding authority over the officers. We just need to get to that point." 

Law nodded before hearing the sounds of gunshots in the distance. He heard Smoker cursed as he turned likely from the noise too. Law's eyes were able to pinpoint where the bullets were coming from and to be quite honest, their aims are terrible. Well, at least one thing is similar to movies. He mused silently. 

"I should've gotten you a bulletproof vest." 

"Wouldn't you also need one?" Law mentioned keeping up with the Chief's pace. Honestly, his skin would ricochet any of the bullets if he were to get hit. 

He could hear Smoker mutter something, but the words were incoherent to Law apart from the yelling in the background. The sounds of bullets whizzing by was also another annoyance that Law didn't care too much for. His mental map was pulled up as he was following after Smoker. With the route they were going, it was definitely the fastest route, they could go around through the other roads, but they could run into some terrain issues like hills. Although, at this moment, he was more concern with how long the run would be at the rate per second they were going and the rate the mob was going. It is possible that they could potentially catch up to them should they actually hit Smoker. Law doesn't doubt that he would be able to carry Smoker considering he was able to carry Eustass without any issues. But he's never had to hold that weight for a long period of time and run at the same time. He wondered if there would be any internal damage if that was the case. 

His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a bullet passing right by his ear. He turned around and his eyes immediately started to calculate the distance to the shooters. They were starting to slow down, even Law could see that, but that doesn't stop with the shooters who were still on their tails. At this range, they could still easily be hit. 

"Trafalgar, keep your eyes forward!" Smoker yelled. "We need to get to the city area as fast as we can!" 

Law frowned in annoyance at being told what to do when he was trying to focus on something else. He looked back once more, his eyes easily picking up where the bullets were and where it may potentially land. The probability of impact was low due to human error and likely movement. However, for just a split second, he perceived one bullet's trajectory and where it would hit. If his quick calculation was correct, it would definitely hit Smoker. He didn't have time to think as he moved his body as his instinct took over. In just a few milliseconds, a resounding sound echoed when the small bullet hit his exterior body. He couldn't feel anything, not that he was capable of it. The sound of metal hitting metal left him certain that the bullet has pierced through his plastic skin and into the metal interior. 

Smoker had turned around when he heard the sound. He looked around a few times like he was trying to pinpoint where that sound was coming from. 

"What was that?" 

"I'm not sure, you told me to keep my eyes forward." 

Clearly, he was not amused with the answer when the older man rolled his eyes and muttered out 'smartass'. Law only smirked as they continued forward. As they got closer towards the city areas, the gunshots had stopped and so did the sounds of running footsteps. 

Even once in the city, Law continued with Smoker's pace until they were in a safe location. At this point, Law wasn't sure where they were, but he still knew the route to get back to the car. 

Smoker was out of breath as he sat down at one of the benches. He looked towards Law with a baffled look. "Not tired?" He managed to say. 

"No?" Law answered. He's never been tired to understand what it actually meant to a human beside the dictionary definition of it. 

Smoker laughed weakly as he was slowly regarding his breath. "And here I thought I was in shape. Maybe I should get you to train the new officers coming in." 

Sure, if you want Eustass to build you androids… Law considered. "No thanks." He took the chance to look around the surrounding area waiting for Smoker to regain his breath again. There were old-style shops lined along both sides of the streets. The street was a cobblestone road, no one but pedestrians were walking up and down the streets. It looked peaceful and quaint. It looked like one of those scenes he's seen before in one of the movies. 

"Did you get hurt anywhere?" Smoker asked. Law spun around and noticed Smoker's stoic expression returned again. "Did any bullets hit you?" 

"No, I don't feel anything," Law commented. It wasn't an entire lie. 

There was this slight twitch he noticed in his eyes, but he didn't say any more. Law only raised a brow at his action. 

"Come on, let's head to the car, we can discuss in there what I saw." 

The two quickly headed to the car and Smoker immediately pulled out and left the city. While they were leaving the city, Law noticed that Smoker kept looking over with this concerned look. The android didn't think too much of it as he kept his eyes forward on the scenery, but he wondered if the man knew that he got hit. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Smoker asked to which Law only nodded in response. 

When they finally got out of the city area, Smoker started to explain what he saw. He was able to confirm that the warehouse was definitely filled with Bliss. No doubt in his mind. He was found one of the offices and saw the majority of the shipments went to South Blue; directly to the ports just an hour away from Baterilla. 

It was likely that they had multiple locations of where Bliss was stored, but Smoker wasn't able to get authorization to do a full-scale investigation when the World Government decided to step in. However, since Tashigi, Smoker's partner and Chief Deputy, had taken over while he was on suspension, she's been keeping an eye out on the warehouse and sending patrols there. 

"There hasn't been any sign as of late, but I was able to write down some of the locations to send to her." 

"Isn't that dangerous with the World Government still watching?" 

Smoker only smirked at this. "You think I would be doing all of this if I was worried about them?" 

Law chuckled, but he agreed with him. "Someone caught you then while you were in the office?" 

"No, the fire alarm went off." Smoker stated. 

Law raised a brow at that. "The fire alarm? I don't recall smoke coming from the warehouse." 

"There wasn't any. So someone must have pulled it." 

Law mused over it before commenting on seeing Bellamy. He was the only one that he had recognized from the pictures of people that Smoker had shown him. Law told him about Bellamy and his strange behavior when he left. "I remember you mentioned that he wasn't much of a threat." 

"Well, compared to some of the others I can name. No, I wouldn't really consider him as a threat, but he can be a hassle to deal with sometimes." Smoker said before going completely silent. 

Law watched him, wondering if the information had clicked anything into place. Since the two have started working, he noticed that the man often had moments that he went silent and ponders over the information that he has. It was interesting for Law to watch since it was just like seeing a human process data to create a conclusion similar to him. When he didn't say anything after a while, Law was about to say something. 

"Law." To which he responded with a simple 'yes?' Those impassive eyes looked at him when they had stopped at a red light. "From now on, you need to lay low." Smoker stated. 

"Why?" 

"That mob today saw what you look like. They will come after you if they know who you are. It could come out to here. For my own sanity and your own safety, you need to be careful from now on." Smoker spoke. "This situation that I brought you in could have much worst. We got out lucky this time, but at the end of the day, you're still a citizen. You still have a normal life. And even if I want your help, I can't risk your life like I did today." 

Law wasn't sure how to respond back to the Chief. He knew that there was nothing normal about his life. None of his statement would apply to him directly. "So you're telling me I should just stay in the house?" 

Smoker raised a brow at his question. "Just for a few days, we'll keep in touch via phone. Besides, we've figured out the distribution point. I'll work on closing that point down along with these other locations. And you'll know what that will cause?" 

Law smirked a bit. "Panic." 

"Exactly, they're going to start making stupid mistakes and when they do, we'll catch them." 

* * *

After Smoker had dropped him off, he stayed in the basement to allow himself to process his thoughts of the day. As he was performing a self-maintenance on his interior workings, he wondered what his next step was. He'll be stuck within the confines of his house for the next few days, which left him with nothing more than hacking into the Joker network. 

His report came in, showing that everything came back properly. It appeared running did not damage anything interior, but he probably shouldn't do it very often if minor damages were caused and sustained over time. He let out a sigh before taking off his hoodie. He was concern about that bullet that hit him. He hoped there was no real damage caused to his exterior body. He wouldn't be able to feel where the hole was and at this point, he realized how annoying it was that he could not see his backside. But the hole in his hoodie was telling itself. For now, he'll figure out a way to fix it another time as he went to switch hoodies. 

By the time he returned back to the basement was when his reminder was set off. Eustass. His creator was going to be home soon and he wasn't sure what to do. So he did what he usually did; he sat at the computer and allowed himself to flow into his usual work. 

His mind started to replay the situation up until when the red-haired saw him. He replayed the very moment over and over again. In just those few seconds when Kid looked over to him, he was positive that Kid saw him. Even if it was for a split second before Law had turned away. He knew the man saw him. 

Frowning, he leaned back on the chair, no longer concerning what was on the screen at this point. His mind continued to develop and route the next best course of action. He didn't want to outright lie to Eustass, but he knew the man would not approve if he had told him that he was going after Joker's drug deals in attempts to protect him. He probably wouldn't wait until the end of the sentence if he was being honest. Even if it meant that Law had a good chance of getting Doflamingo behind bars. 

It was just one more push to get rid of Doflamingo from further damaging his region. Wasn't that a good thing? Law's brows furrowed as it dawned on him. Why does Eustass not allow me to get closer? Even if he hated to admit it, he sort of understood Smoker's thoughts on it, but why would Eustass be concerned? Doflamingo was dangerous, but wouldn't he be perfect for the situation? Have someone who can't be traced without any background or record to his name to find out who Joker is. It sounded like the perfect fit for him. 

Besides, he can always be rebuilt again if something were to happen. 

Letting out another sigh, he was out of time. He heard the front door open and slammed. He looked at the computer closing anything that Eustass didn't need to know about. He left up the news article he had regarding medicine. This was his default page. 

He could hear Eustass call for him. And for the first time since he was activated, he did not want to see his creator. It was a strange situation. Law was always eager to see Eustass every day. He wanted to know how his day was and the stupid things that had occurred at work. But he knew the red-haired well enough to know what will happen. Eustass will be angry. 

As if on cue, Eustass stomped his way down the stairs into the basement. "There you are; I was calling for you." His voice sounded calm. 

"Sorry, I was focused on this article," Law lied as he turned towards the red-haired man. 

Eustass scratched the back of his head. "Its fine, I just needed to ask you something." Law had noticed the way he was hesitant. He was likely contemplating on how to ask it. It took a few minutes longer before his eyes looked determined and look directly into Law's irises. "Did you leave the house?" 

"No, I didn't," He held his neutral tone, but he could see Eustass' eyes narrowed at him. He would think that Eustass would prefer that answer. After all, he wanted Law to stay in the house whenever he was not around or if there wasn't anyone else to accompany him. It was starting to dawn on the android how much he didn't like being treated like a child. However, at this point, he had to focus on one thing at a time. He held his neutral gaze as he observed the red-haired man. Regardless, he held firm to his resolve. He will not tell Eustass why he was in the city. 

"You're lying." 

"Am I?" 

"I know you saw me. And I know what I saw when I was in the city." 

Law looked up to Eustass' red eyes. They had this fire hidden behind his eyes; this anger that he was slowly unleashing. With a frown, "if you knew that, then why would you bother asking me?" 

"Because I had thought you would at least tell me the truth!" He shouted, no longer bothering with holding back. 

He had wanted to. He really would have wanted to tell Eustass the truth, but he couldn't if he knew what the consequences were. The moment Eustass knew what he had been doing, it was obvious that the red-haired man would immediately cease him from continuing anything regarding Bliss. 

And this slow building frustration was growing inside of him. If he had created Law to live like a human, to become as close as a human as possible, what was the problem in him trying to live like a human? Law was created to keep Eustass company and yet somehow the two had fallen in love with each other. Wasn't protecting Eustass something along the lines of what a boyfriend would do? These never-ending questions that continued to pile up never seem to have answers that Law had understood. 

When the android hadn't said a word, Eustass walked over, slamming a hand on the tabletop in attempts to get his attention. The mere act of trying to get his attention had only further irritated the android. What was the need to create more noise just because he didn't answer? 

"Why were you in the city with Smoker?" 

And that confirmed that Law wasn't mistaken when Eustass saw him in the city; even if it was for a momentary second or two. As he was trying to come up with a reasonable answer to Eustass' question, every proposed answer had come up as an error. Any situation that he had thought of, he was sure that Eustass would only question further or become angry. However, it appeared that his silence only worsen the man's anger. The way his brows furrowed together, his jaw clenching together and his enclosed fist that was nearly shaking. He let out a small sigh staring into Eustass' eyes. "Eustass-ya, is there a reason why I can't be in the city with Smoker?" 

"Don't answer my question with another question! Just tell me why you were in the city?" 

"Because I wanted to," Law answered. 

There was tightness in Eustass' eyes as his eyes turned cold. "With Smoker?" 

"He wanted to get to know me more and I had wanted to see the city," Law stated. He knew he was angering him further with his answers. He just couldn't decide, could he? The android thought. He didn't want Law to lie, but if he had told him some of the truth, he only got madder. For once, Law was struggling to come up with the right words to say to Eustass. He didn't know if there were any right words with this situation. So he decided to ask exactly what was on his mind. "Eustass-ya," Law started. "Just why are you so angry that I had left the house? What is there to worry about? You built me to be able to withstand almost anything. What's the harm in going outside?" 

The barrage of questions appeared to stump him momentarily as his lips pressed together. "I…" And much like Law had felt, it appeared that Eustass was struggling to come up with the right words too. It likely didn't help that the android's neutral expression hasn't changed since the man came home. That coldness in those red eyes appeared to fade as well as his facial expression appeared to soften just a little. "I can't protect you if you leave by yourself. What if something were to happen to you?" 

And as endearing as that sounded, Law wasn't having it. He got up from the chair, glaring at the taller male. "You built me to be human and equipped me with top of the line steel to ensure I could not be easily damaged," Law stated the facts. "You know my capabilities and yet you think that I cannot protect myself?" 

"No, you can't." 

"And why not?" Law asked. 

Eustass gritted his teeth. "Because you can't! If anything were to happen to you I'm two hours away. How the fuck am I supposed to help you if something were to happen?!" 

"That's because nothing will happen!" Law yelled back. "You know what I can do as an android. I'll be fine if I just leave the house every so often. I'm not going to spontaneously malfunction all of a sudden." 

"You don't know that!" 

"I do know that because I've been handling my own maintenance! I know what I'm capable of. And if something does happen, I can always be fixed." 

"It's not that simple!" 

"Then explain why?! You're not explaining anything! You want me to be human then why am I stuck here in this house?" 

"For your own safety!" 

"Wow… that explains a lot, I feel so protected here." 

"You know what? I've already had enough of Dellinger sassing me at work. I'm not in the mood to deal with it here either." Eustass stated. "And you're still avoiding answering why you were even in the city with Smoker." 

"I already told you, I wanted to and Smoker wanted to get to know me better." 

"That's a load of bullshit and you know it. Tell me why you were in the city, Law." Eustass snarled. The way that Eustass had towered over him in attempts to intimidating him, Law only looked back defiantly. He was infuriated by the fact that Eustass had attempted to threaten him and the way Eustass had looked back at him, it was clear to say he wasn't expecting this disobedience. "Fine, if you don't want to talk about then I don't have anything to say either." He turned and stomped up the stairs. 

"It's not like you explained yourself either," Law spoke bitterly before turning back towards the desk, crossing his arms. Why couldn't he understand? Was he really only created just to have around when it was convenient? If that was the case, why put so much effort? Why did he give him a reason to care for him? 

As his senses were starting to slow down, he heard the door slam. At first Law had assumed it was just the bedroom door, but it sounded much closer than where the bedroom was located. He walked up the stairs and peeked out to look towards the front door. "…Eustass-ya?" Law whispered out. The only thing he could hear as he stared at the door was silence. 


End file.
